Mother and baby orangutan freed from snare in Kotim fire zone
Gadis suffered severe injuries to both wrists, likely from a pig snare, while shielding her infant from the flames.
The Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency evacuated a mother orangutan and her infant from Kandan village, Kota Besi district, Kotawaringin Timur, early Friday. The about 25-year-old mother was named Gadis, while her male infant, estimated at about 10 months old, was named Garis. A team from the Wildlife Rescue Unit of the KSDA Wilayah II section and Orangutan Foundation International arrived around 01:00 WIB and secured both animals from the area affected by forest and land fires. During the examination, officers found rope wrapped around both of Gadis' wrists and cut it away. The constriction left severe wounds; officers suspect the rope was a snare commonly used to catch pigs. According to BKSDA Pos Sampit records, Gadis and Garis were the fifth and sixth orangutans rescued in Kotim during the wildfire emergency period.