# Orangutan rescue in Indonesia: threats, rehabilitation, release

> Why orangutans are endangered, how many are left, Indonesian law, how rescue, rehabilitation and release work, and how to help without keeping one.

Source: https://panduanhewan.org/en/animal-causes/orangutan-rescue-rehabilitation-indonesia/ · Updated 1 October 2026 · English · Bahasa Indonesia: https://panduanhewan.org/id/isu-satwa/orangutan-terancam-punah/
_This Markdown mirror is generated at build time from the same data as the HTML page. Cite the HTML page URL and its update date._

## Quick answer

All three Indonesian orangutan species (Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli) are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because their forests are being cleared or burnt and because orangutans are killed, hunted or captured for the pet trade. All three are listed in the annex of Environment and Forestry Regulation P.106/2018, so hunting, keeping or trading one can bring up to 15 years in prison. Confiscated orangutans go through quarantine and two to six years of rehabilitation, including forest school, before a government-approved release; the most useful things you can do are to never buy or share pet-orangutan content and to report cases to the BKSDA or Gakkum Kehutanan.

- **IUCN status:** All three species Critically Endangered; Tapanuli orangutan assessed in 2017 ([IUCN Red List: Pongo tapanuliensis (amended version 2024, assessed 11 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120588639/259042400))
- **Sumatran orangutans:** About 11,694 individuals (2021–2023 surveys), down 19.5% since 2011 ([Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302))
- **Tapanuli orangutans:** About 716 individuals (2021–2023), before the November 2025 landslides ([Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302))
- **Bornean orangutans:** About 57,350 individuals across Borneo, including Malaysia (figure used in the 2019–2029 action plan) ([Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/))
- **Decline on Borneo:** More than 100,000 fewer between 1999 and 2015 ([Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053))
- **Legal protection:** Listed in the P.106/2018 annex, entries 61–63 ([Peraturan Menteri LHK No. P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018, lampiran jenis satwa dilindungi (Hominidae)](https://jdih.kehutanan.go.id/new2/uploads/files/P_106_2018_JENIS_TSL_menlhk_07252019152513.pdf))
- **Maximum penalty:** Up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Rp5 billion (category VII) ([UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Lampiran I no. 183 (UU 32/2024 Pasal 40A ayat (1))](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026))
- **International trade:** CITES Appendix I since 1 July 1975 ([Species+ (UNEP-WCMC/CITES): Pongo pygmaeus, CITES listing](https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/7106/legal))
- **Length of rehabilitation:** Two to six years ([Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah))
- **Crimes that reach court:** 22 court cases out of 2,229 recorded crimes (2007–2019) ([Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744))

## Why are orangutans endangered?

According to an IUCN task force, all three orangutan species are Critically Endangered mainly because of habitat loss and hunting. The IUCN Red List entry for the Bornean orangutan also lists pulp plantations, mining, logging, hunting and fire as threats.

The first pressure is forest loss. On Borneo, half of the orangutan population was affected by logging, deforestation or industrial plantations between 1999 and 2015. In northern Sumatra, forest loss explained 76% of the variation in population change between 2011 and 2023.

Standing forest is not automatically safe, though. The same Borneo study found that more orangutans were lost in logged and primary forest than on cleared land, which points to hunting as a further cause. An interview survey in 687 villages in Kalimantan in 2008–2009 estimated that 750 to 1,800 orangutans had been killed in the previous year.

Orangutans also recover very slowly. Infants stay with their mothers until they are about six to eight years old, and the IUCN uses a generation length of 25 years. As a result, extra losses of more than 1% a year are enough to push a population towards extinction.

Evidence: [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [IUCN Red List: Pongo pygmaeus (amended version 2024, assessed 8 February 2016)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17975/259043172) · [Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053) · [Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053) · [Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Meijaard et al. (2011) Quantifying killing of orangutans and human-orangutan conflict in Kalimantan, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 6: e27491](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027491) · [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97) · [Meijaard et al. (2026) Extreme rainfall further endangers the world's rarest great ape. Current Biology](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.029) · [IUCN Red List: Pongo abelii (amended version 2024, assessed 16 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/121097935/259045437)

## How many orangutans are left in the wild?

Nest surveys along 208 transects in 2021–2023 estimated about 11,694 Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and 716 Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis). For the Tapanuli orangutan this is the first systematic estimate covering its whole range. Compared with the 2011 survey, Sumatran orangutans fell by 19.5%, or about 1.8% a year.

Those figures have already been overtaken by events. In late November 2025, extreme rain from Cyclone Senyar set off widespread landslides across the Batang Toru landscape, and satellite analysis suggests that about 11% of the West Block population (roughly 58 individuals) lived in the landslide area. In December 2025, a Tapanuli orangutan was found dead in flood debris on the Garoga River in Central Tapanuli.

According to the figures used in Indonesia's 2019–2029 orangutan conservation action plan, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) numbers about 57,350 individuals in 41 meta-populations, including those in Malaysia. The largest group is the subspecies P. p. wurmbii, with about 38,200 individuals in West and Central Kalimantan. Between 1999 and 2015, the orangutan population of Borneo fell by more than 100,000.

All three species are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The Bornean orangutan was assessed in 2016, and the Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans in 2017.

Evidence: [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Meijaard et al. (2026) Extreme rainfall further endangers the world's rarest great ape. Current Biology](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.029) · [Kompas.com: Orangutan Tapanuli ditemukan mati di tumpukan material banjir Tapteng (12 Desember 2025)](https://regional.kompas.com/read/2025/12/12/182857078/banjir-bandang-di-sumatera-utara-jasad-orangutan-tapanuli-ditemukan-di) · [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/) · [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/) · [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/) · [IUCN SSC CBSG & KLHK (2017) Orangutan Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Final Report](https://www.cpsg.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/2016%2520Orangutan%2520PHVA.pdf) · [Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053) · [IUCN Red List: Pongo pygmaeus (amended version 2024, assessed 8 February 2016)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17975/259043172) · [IUCN Red List: Pongo abelii (amended version 2024, assessed 16 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/121097935/259045437) · [IUCN Red List: Pongo tapanuliensis (amended version 2024, assessed 11 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120588639/259042400)

## Are orangutans protected in Indonesia? The law and the penalties

Yes. All three species are listed in the annex of Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation P.106/2018 on protected plant and animal species: Pongo abelii (entry 61), Pongo pygmaeus (entry 62) and Pongo tapanuliensis (entry 63).

Article 21(2) of Law 5/1990, as amended by Law 32/2024, bans anyone from hunting, capturing, injuring, killing, holding, owning, keeping, transporting and/or trading a live protected animal. The same paragraph also bans moving a protected animal from one place to another within Indonesia or abroad, and trading it through electronic media without a permit.

Penalties for individuals are set out in Article 40A(1). Law 1/2026 on the Adjustment of Criminal Penalties, in force from 2 January 2026, removed the special minimum sentences and set the penalty at up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to category VII. Under Article 79 of the Criminal Code, a category VII fine is Rp5 billion.

Cruelty is also covered by general law. Article 337 of the new Criminal Code (Law 1/2023), in force since 2 January 2026, sets up to one year in prison for hurting or injuring an animal without a proper purpose, rising to one year and six months if the animal is disabled, seriously injured or dies. Article 66A of Law 41/2014 bans animal abuse and requires anyone who knows about it to report it to the authorities.

In Aceh, Aceh Qanun 11/2019 on Wildlife Management also bans capturing, snaring, poisoning, killing, owning, keeping, transporting and trading protected wildlife. Internationally, orangutans have been on CITES Appendix I since 1 July 1975, which means commercial international trade is banned.

Law 32/2024 also covers what happens to confiscated orangutans. A live animal held as evidence can be returned to its habitat through a release recorded in an official report, and the government is responsible for looking after live evidence before trial.

Evidence: [Peraturan Menteri LHK No. P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018, lampiran jenis satwa dilindungi (Hominidae)](https://jdih.kehutanan.go.id/new2/uploads/files/P_106_2018_JENIS_TSL_menlhk_07252019152513.pdf) · [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas UU No. 5 Tahun 1990, Pasal 21 ayat (2) huruf a](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024) · [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024, Pasal 21 ayat (2) huruf e](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024) · [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024, Pasal 21 ayat (2) huruf g](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Pasal I ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Lampiran I no. 183 (UU 32/2024 Pasal 40A ayat (1))](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Pasal IX](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang KUHP, Pasal 79 ayat (1) huruf g](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/234935/uu-no-1-tahun-2023) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang KUHP, Pasal 337 ayat (1) huruf a](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/234935/uu-no-1-tahun-2023) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang KUHP, Pasal 337 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/234935/uu-no-1-tahun-2023) · [UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, konsiderans (berlakunya KUHP)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026) · [UU No. 41 Tahun 2014 (perubahan UU 18/2009 tentang Peternakan dan Kesehatan Hewan), Pasal 66A](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/38801/uu-no-41-tahun-2014) · [UU No. 41 Tahun 2014, Pasal 66A ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/38801/uu-no-41-tahun-2014) · [Qanun Aceh Nomor 11 Tahun 2019 tentang Pengelolaan Satwa Liar, Pasal 31 huruf a](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/143286/qanun-prov-nad-no-11-tahun-2019) · [Species+ (UNEP-WCMC/CITES): Pongo pygmaeus, CITES listing](https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/7106/legal) · [Species+ (UNEP-WCMC/CITES): Pongo tapanuliensis, CITES listing](https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/101289/legal) · [BBC News Indonesia: Misteri lima bayi orang utan di hutan India (September 2026)](https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cx2z39957z9o) · [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024, Pasal 39B ayat (3)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024) · [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024, Pasal 39B ayat (4)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024)

## The orangutan pet trade: where do pet orangutans come from?

Behind almost every pet baby orangutan is a dead mother. In Aceh and North Sumatra, 319 orangutans were recorded in rescue and conflict-response operations between 2012 and 2024. Of these, 57 were confiscated from private owners, and 60% were four years old or younger. The researchers note that obtaining an infant orangutan almost always involves killing its mother.

Most of the trade is domestic. Of 2,229 orangutan-related crimes reported in Indonesia in 2007–2019, 99.6% of Bornean cases and 95.7% of Sumatran and Tapanuli cases involved local rather than international trade. In Ketapang and Kayong Utara, West Kalimantan, investigators found 145 orangutans being held illegally for the pet trade between 2004 and 2014, and the number of cases in each sub-district tracked the area of oil palm.

International routes still exist. Thai authorities seized four infant orangutans in January and May 2025, when they were thought to be less than a month old. DNA tests showed that three were Sumatran orangutans and one was a Tapanuli orangutan, and all four were returned to Indonesia in December 2025. In September 2026, five infant orangutans were found in a forest in the Indian state of Odisha, far from their native range.

Photos and videos of pet orangutans play a part. Promoting human contact with wildlife can drive demand for wildlife tourism and exotic pets. In one experiment, more than half of the people shown posts of humans with gorillas or slow lorises said they would keep one as a pet or that it would make a good pet, and explanatory captions did not reduce that effect.

Evidence: [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Freund, Rahman & Knott (2017) Ten years of orangutan-related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 79: e22620](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22620) · [Freund, Rahman & Knott (2017) Ten years of orangutan-related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 79: e22620](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22620) · [Freund, Rahman & Knott (2017) Ten years of orangutan-related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 79: e22620](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22620) · [ANTARA: Kemenhut repatriasi 4 orangutan korban perdagangan ilegal di Thailand (24 Desember 2025)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5320183/kemenhut-repatriasi-4-orangutan-korban-perdagangan-ilegal-di-thailand) · [ANTARA: Kemenhut repatriasi 4 orangutan korban perdagangan ilegal di Thailand (24 Desember 2025)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5320183/kemenhut-repatriasi-4-orangutan-korban-perdagangan-ilegal-di-thailand) · [ANTARA: Kemenhut repatriasi 4 orangutan korban perdagangan ilegal di Thailand (24 Desember 2025)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5320183/kemenhut-repatriasi-4-orangutan-korban-perdagangan-ilegal-di-thailand) · [BBC News Indonesia: Misteri lima bayi orang utan di hutan India (September 2026)](https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cx2z39957z9o) · [Freund et al. (2024) Effects of captions on viewers' perceptions of images depicting human-primate interaction. Conservation Biology 38: e14199](https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199) · [Freund et al. (2024) Effects of captions on viewers' perceptions of images depicting human-primate interaction. Conservation Biology 38: e14199](https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199) · [Freund et al. (2024) Effects of captions on viewers' perceptions of images depicting human-primate interaction. Conservation Biology 38: e14199](https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199)

## Are pet orangutans dangerous? Welfare harms and disease risks

Orangutans kept by people for a long time often lose their wild instincts, such as the ability to climb, find food and build nests. Many orangutans that enter rehabilitation have seen their mother die, been injured by people or other orangutans, lived in small cages or become emaciated from lack of food.

Pet orangutans are a risk to people too. IUCN guidelines note that former captive male orangutans are known to range widely and can be aggressive towards humans. If you are bitten or scratched by an orangutan, go to a health facility straight away.

Disease can pass both ways. IUCN guidelines state that primates can act as reservoirs for human pathogens and vice versa, giving tuberculosis as an example. COVID-19 and other diseases of human origin can be transmitted to orangutans, and former pets that have spent a long time with people may have been exposed to human diseases before release.

In Indonesia, deforestation, ecotourism, illegal wildlife trade and expanding settlements are increasing contact between people and primates and the risk of pathogen spillover. A 2026 review listed the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex among five priority categories of zoonotic pathogens in primates. Regulation 17/2024 requires quarantine with physical and laboratory checks for every newly arrived animal; if an animal tests positive for a zoonosis, the head of the conservation office must coordinate across sectors under a One Health approach.

Evidence: [Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah) · [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Sherman et al. (2021) Disease risk and conservation implications of orangutan translocations. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8: 749547](https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.749547) · [Sherman et al. (2021) Disease risk and conservation implications of orangutan translocations. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8: 749547](https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.749547) · [Sophian (2026) Non-human primates as sentinels and reservoirs of emerging zoonotic diseases in Indonesia: a One Health perspective. Journal of Medical Primatology 55: e70101](https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.70101) · [Sophian (2026) Non-human primates as sentinels and reservoirs of emerging zoonotic diseases in Indonesia: a One Health perspective. Journal of Medical Primatology 55: e70101](https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.70101) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa, Pasal 31 ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa, Pasal 33 ayat (4)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024)

## How does orangutan rehabilitation work, from quarantine to forest school?

Regulation 17/2024 on wildlife rescue defines rehabilitation as restoring an animal's health and behaviour so that it can survive and breed once it is returned to its habitat. The IUCN guidelines for great apes add one more key aim: the animals are weaned off human contact and dependence.

Orangutans arrive through conflict, confiscation, being found, or voluntary handover by the people keeping them. A vet must be involved in assessing their medical condition and behaviour. Animals that do not yet behave naturally go through quarantine, isolation if they carry an infectious disease, and recovery of natural behaviour. Quarantine lasts at least 14 days, and each individual must have regular medical and behavioural records.

For orangutans, behavioural recovery is known as forest school: young orangutans learn skills under human supervision in an area of open forest during the day. Before release they must learn what to eat and where and when to find it, by watching other orangutans and caregivers who show how food is processed and eaten.

According to the Ministry of Forestry, rehabilitation is a long process that takes two to six years, from health checks and forest school to an adaptation period on a pre-release island. Three orangutans released in East Kutai in June 2026 spent four months on such an island. Orangutans that are too old for forest school but not yet old enough for release may have to live in an enclosure for some years.

It is expensive. In 2019, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry put the cost of rehabilitating one orangutan at about Rp3 million a month. A cost analysis found that reintroduction costs twelve times as much per animal as protecting forest, and that over periods longer than 10–20 years, protecting forest is the more cost-efficient way to keep wild populations.

Evidence: [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa, Pasal 1 angka 9](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 6 ayat (3)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 8 ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 29 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 31 ayat (6)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 35](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97) · [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97) · [Preuschoft et al. (2023) The development of feeding competence in rehabilitant orphaned orangutans and how to measure it. Animals 13: 2111](https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132111) · [Preuschoft et al. (2023) The development of feeding competence in rehabilitant orphaned orangutans and how to measure it. Animals 13: 2111](https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132111) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah) · [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/) · [Wilson et al. (2014) Conservation strategies for orangutans: reintroduction versus habitat preservation and the benefits of sustainably logged forest. PLoS ONE 9: e102174](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102174) · [Wilson et al. (2014) Conservation strategies for orangutans: reintroduction versus habitat preservation and the benefits of sustainably logged forest. PLoS ONE 9: e102174](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102174)

## When is a rescued orangutan ready to be released into the wild, and how is it monitored?

Regulation 17/2024 sets the conditions for release: the site must lie within the species' range or in similar habitat, the animals must be physically healthy, wild in behaviour and genetically diverse, and the release must be based on a habitat assessment. Hybrid animals may not be released. For protected species such as orangutans, a release needs a letter of approval from the Director General, along with documents on the animal's origin and health and an official release report.

The species must be confirmed first. A DNA forensics study stresses that telling Sumatran, Tapanuli and Bornean orangutans apart before reintroduction is essential to avoid outbreeding depression. Regulation 17/2024 also provides for genetic tests during quarantine to decide where an animal is released.

IUCN guidelines say that a soft release is appropriate in almost all cases with great apes, and that great apes under two years old should not be reintroduced unless they can rejoin their natal group within three weeks of being removed. In 2007, the IUCN also noted that an Indonesian government decree at the time barred reintroducing orangutans into areas that already had wild orangutans.

Rehabilitated animals are habituated to their new habitat for at least three days before release, then monitored directly and indirectly until they have settled in. For a release in Betung Kerihun National Park in July 2026, the orangutans had medical checks and a month of pre-release quarantine, and were then followed from nest to nest for up to three months. The IUCN guidelines recommend monitoring for at least a year.

Outcomes are uncertain. One review reports survival rates for released orangutans of 20 to 80%, with an average of about 40%. In Betung Kerihun, 39 orangutans were released in 17 stages between 2017 and December 2025. Orangutans judged unfit for release are recommended for placement in a special facility or a conservation institution.

Evidence: [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa, Pasal 19 ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 19 ayat (1) huruf a](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 19 ayat (3)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 22](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 22 huruf b, c dan f](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Lavenia et al. (2024) Species identification of rehabilitated critically endangered orangutans through DNA forensic. Tropical Life Sciences Research 35(1): 123–137](https://doi.org/10.21315/tlsr2024.35.1.7) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 31 ayat (5)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 25 ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 25 ayat (3) huruf a](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 28 ayat (2) dan (6)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 28 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Kemenhut lepasliarkan lima individu orangutan tahap ke-18 ke Taman Nasional Betung Kerihun (2 Juli 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/kembali-ke-rumah-kemenhut-lepasliarkan-lima-individu-orangutan-tahap-ke-18-ke-taman-nasional-betung-kerihun) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Kemenhut lepasliarkan lima individu orangutan tahap ke-18 ke Taman Nasional Betung Kerihun (2 Juli 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/kembali-ke-rumah-kemenhut-lepasliarkan-lima-individu-orangutan-tahap-ke-18-ke-taman-nasional-betung-kerihun) · [Kementerian Kehutanan: Kemenhut lepasliarkan lima individu orangutan tahap ke-18 ke Taman Nasional Betung Kerihun (2 Juli 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/kembali-ke-rumah-kemenhut-lepasliarkan-lima-individu-orangutan-tahap-ke-18-ke-taman-nasional-betung-kerihun) · [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97) · [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024, Pasal 34 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024)

## Human–orangutan conflict: how much is palm oil to blame?

An IUCN task force concluded that clearing land for oil palm has played a major role in the decline of orangutans. When forest is cleared, orangutans are displaced and come into conflict with people living around the plantations. According to the 2018 IUCN analysis, some 10,000 orangutans on Borneo live in areas allocated to oil palm, and in 2019 the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said that about 70% of orangutans live outside conservation areas, for example on plantations.

Oil palm is not the only cause. The same IUCN analysis names pulp and paper plantations, fire-driven deforestation, small-scale farming and above all hunting as main threats. It also notes that replacing palm oil with other oil crops would require a much larger global area of farmland.

Conflict often ends in death. Researchers have estimated that 1,500 to 2,500 Bornean orangutans are killed every year, half of them shot in conflicts with people. In Aceh and North Sumatra, 15 orangutans recorded between 2012 and 2024 had air-rifle pellet wounds. In September 2026, an adult male rescued from fires in Kayong Utara was also found to carry an old air-rifle pellet wound.

Moving orangutans is no easy fix. At least 988 wild orangutans were captured for translocation in Indonesia between 2005 and 2022, 69% of them because they were feeding on crops or found near farms and plantations. The researchers advise using translocation only in exceptional circumstances, and protecting most orangutans where they are by dealing with conflicts and keeping the forests they use, including small forest patches.

Aceh Qanun 11/2019 lists orangutans among the wild animals that often come into conflict with people, and sets out conflict control through prevention, response and post-conflict recovery.

Evidence: [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/) · [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [Sherman et al. (2025) Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks. PLOS ONE 20: e0317862](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317862) · [Sherman et al. (2025) Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks. PLOS ONE 20: e0317862](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317862) · [Sherman et al. (2025) Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks. PLOS ONE 20: e0317862](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317862) · [Sherman et al. (2025) Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks. PLOS ONE 20: e0317862](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317862) · [Qanun Aceh Nomor 11 Tahun 2019 tentang Pengelolaan Satwa Liar, Penjelasan Umum](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/143286/qanun-prov-nad-no-11-tahun-2019) · [Qanun Aceh Nomor 11 Tahun 2019 tentang Pengelolaan Satwa Liar, Pasal 16 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/143286/qanun-prov-nad-no-11-tahun-2019)

## Forest fires and orangutans: what happens when Borneo burns?

Fire can reduce orangutan populations in several ways: by killing animals outright, by destroying and fragmenting habitat, and by lowering how many orangutans the forest can support. The smoke is harmful too. During the 2015 peat fires in Central Kalimantan, PM10 particle levels reached hazardous levels, and the male orangutans studied rested more, travelled less and burnt more fat reserves after the smoke period.

The 2026 fire season hit orangutans again. The government strengthened its wildlife rescue task force in Central Kalimantan and prepared oxygen cylinders and nebulisers to treat breathing problems in orangutans. Between 1 August and 10 September 2026, the West Kalimantan BKSDA evacuated 24 wild animals affected by fire, 15 of them orangutans, and by 17 September the number of orangutans evacuated in the province had reached 23. Nationally, the Ministry of Forestry evacuated about 100 wild animals from six fire-prone areas; eight of them died, including one orangutan.

Other disasters are dangerous for a population as small as the Tapanuli orangutan's. Researchers describe the landslides that followed extreme rain in November 2025 as evidence that extreme weather can directly threaten great ape survival, and say habitat protection needs to be strengthened.

If you find an orangutan affected by fire, the Ministry of Forestry asks people not to catch or move it themselves. Contact the authorities, give the exact location, describe the animal's condition, take photos or video only if it is safe, and leave the handling to officials. In Kalimantan, wildlife rescue call centres are run by the BKSDA offices in West Kalimantan (0811-577-6767), Central Kalimantan (0811-5218-500) and East Kalimantan (0821-1333-8181).

Evidence: [IUCN SSC CBSG & KLHK (2017) Orangutan Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Final Report](https://www.cpsg.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/2016%2520Orangutan%2520PHVA.pdf) · [Erb et al. (2018) Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports 8: 7606](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25847-1) · [Erb et al. (2018) Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports 8: 7606](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25847-1) · [Erb et al. (2018) Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports 8: 7606](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25847-1) · [Erb et al. (2018) Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports 8: 7606](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25847-1) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.496/HKLN/09/2026: Hadapi dampak karhutla, Satgas Penyelamatan Satwa Liar Kalteng diperkuat (5 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/hadapi-dampak-karhutla-satgas-penyelamatan-satwa-liar-kalteng-diperkuat) · [Katadata: BKSDA Kalbar evakuasi 24 satwa liar terdampak karhutla, paling banyak orangutan (September 2026)](https://katadata.co.id/ekonomi-hijau/ekonomi-sirkular/6aa3676c27cdd/bksda-kalbar-evakuasi-24-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla-paling-banyak-orangutan) · [Katadata: BKSDA Kalbar evakuasi 24 satwa liar terdampak karhutla, paling banyak orangutan (September 2026)](https://katadata.co.id/ekonomi-hijau/ekonomi-sirkular/6aa3676c27cdd/bksda-kalbar-evakuasi-24-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla-paling-banyak-orangutan) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [ANTARA: Kemenhut evakuasi 100 satwa liar dari lokasi karhutla (22 September 2026)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5753360/kemenhut-evakuasi-100-satwa-liar-dari-lokasi-karhutla) · [ANTARA: Kemenhut evakuasi 100 satwa liar dari lokasi karhutla (22 September 2026)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5753360/kemenhut-evakuasi-100-satwa-liar-dari-lokasi-karhutla) · [Meijaard et al. (2026) Extreme rainfall further endangers the world's rarest great ape. Current Biology](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.029) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla)

## How are orangutan crimes prosecuted? Recent enforcement cases

Very few cases reach court. Of 2,229 orangutan-related crimes recorded in Indonesia between 2007 and 2019, only 22 became court cases, and 20 of those ended in convictions. In West Kalimantan, one study found just one prosecution for orangutan trading in a decade.

The researchers also found that national parks with orangutans had only 0.28–2.11 enforcement officers per 100 km², below the 3–11 per 100 km² regarded as best practice for deterring poaching. Education and handovers of pet orangutans, the two most common interventions, have not been matched by a fall in crime; more patrols, investigations, arrests and convictions, together with community-based solutions, are needed.

A recent example: on 30 January 2026, a joint customs and forestry law enforcement team stopped a vehicle in Madat, East Aceh, carrying 53 crates of animals, including an orangutan, Javan langurs, birds of paradise and hornbills, allegedly bound for Thailand. The suspect, AS (40), was charged under Article 40A(1) in conjunction with Article 21(2) of Law 32/2024, and the case was handed to the East Aceh District Prosecutor on 9 April 2026.

A 2026 population study concluded that declaring protected areas is not enough on its own: existing legal protections must be enforced, and fragmented populations need to be reconnected.

Evidence: [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Freund, Rahman & Knott (2017) Ten years of orangutan-related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 79: e22620](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22620) · [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744) · [Gakkum Kehutanan: Limpahkan tersangka penyelundupan satwa dilindungi ilegal lintas negara ke Kejaksaan (15 April 2026)](https://gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/siaran-pers/detail/gakkum-kehutanan-limpahkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-satwa-dilindungi-ilegal-lintas-negara-ke-kejaksaan-tinggi-aceh-timur) · [Gakkum Kehutanan: Limpahkan tersangka penyelundupan satwa dilindungi ilegal lintas negara ke Kejaksaan (15 April 2026)](https://gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/siaran-pers/detail/gakkum-kehutanan-limpahkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-satwa-dilindungi-ilegal-lintas-negara-ke-kejaksaan-tinggi-aceh-timur) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.26/HUMAS/PPIP/HMS.3/02/2026: Gakkum Kehutanan tetapkan tersangka penyelundupan ratusan satwa liar dilindungi ke Thailand (2 Februari 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/gakkum-kehutanan-tetapkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-ratusan-satwa-liar-dilindungi-ke-thailand) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.26/HUMAS/PPIP/HMS.3/02/2026: Gakkum Kehutanan tetapkan tersangka penyelundupan ratusan satwa liar dilindungi ke Thailand (2 Februari 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/gakkum-kehutanan-tetapkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-ratusan-satwa-liar-dilindungi-ke-thailand) · [Gakkum Kehutanan: Limpahkan tersangka penyelundupan satwa dilindungi ilegal lintas negara ke Kejaksaan (15 April 2026)](https://gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/siaran-pers/detail/gakkum-kehutanan-limpahkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-satwa-dilindungi-ilegal-lintas-negara-ke-kejaksaan-tinggi-aceh-timur) · [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.26/HUMAS/PPIP/HMS.3/02/2026: Gakkum Kehutanan tetapkan tersangka penyelundupan ratusan satwa liar dilindungi ke Thailand (2 Februari 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/gakkum-kehutanan-tetapkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-ratusan-satwa-liar-dilindungi-ke-thailand) · [Gakkum Kehutanan: Limpahkan tersangka penyelundupan satwa dilindungi ilegal lintas negara ke Kejaksaan (15 April 2026)](https://gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/siaran-pers/detail/gakkum-kehutanan-limpahkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-satwa-dilindungi-ilegal-lintas-negara-ke-kejaksaan-tinggi-aceh-timur) · [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302)

## How to help

- Never buy, accept or bargain for an orangutan, even to 'rescue' it. Owning and keeping orangutans is banned, and buyer demand is the reason mothers are killed.
- Don't like, share or make photos and videos of orangutans dressed up, carried around or kept at home. Report wildlife-for-sale posts through the platform's own reporting tool.
- Report suspected trade or keeping of orangutans to Gakkum Kehutanan at pengaduan.gakkum.kehutanan.go.id (category: illegal wildlife trade), by email to pengaduan.gakkum@kehutanan.go.id or by phone on (021) 5790 2925, or to the BKSDA in your province. Keep screenshots and location notes, but do not contact the seller.
- If someone is under threat or a crime is in progress, call the police on 110 (free of charge).
- If an orangutan enters a farm or village, or is affected by fire, do not catch it, chase it away or feed it. Call the local BKSDA, give the location and the animal's condition, and leave the handling to officials. In Kalimantan: West Kalimantan BKSDA 0811-577-6767, Central Kalimantan 0811-5218-500, East Kalimantan 0821-1333-8181.
- If you are bitten or scratched by an orangutan, go to a health facility straight away.
- As a tourist, do not touch, feed or take close-up selfies with orangutans. Keep at least 10 metres away (7 metres if wearing an N95 mask), and do not visit if you are unwell. Avoid places that offer contact with orangutans in rehabilitation.
- If you want to volunteer, choose a programme with no direct contact with orangutans, which asks for health checks (including for tuberculosis) and requires masks near the animals. Programmes that offer cuddling or bathing baby orangutans work against the aims of rehabilitation.
- Orangutans cannot be privately owned, so an 'adopt an orangutan' offer can only mean financial support. Before giving to anyone, use PanduanHewan's checklist on how to check an appeal, and ask whether any release they claim had Director General approval and an official release report. PanduanHewan itself does not take donations.
- Support the protection of the forests orangutans live in, including small forest patches around farms. Replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils would need more farmland, not less.

## Common questions

### Can you have an orangutan as a pet?

No. All three orangutan species are listed in the P.106/2018 annex, and Article 21(2) of Law 5/1990, as amended by Law 32/2024, bans owning, keeping, transporting or trading protected animals. The penalty is up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to category VII (Rp5 billion). Buying an orangutan to 'rescue' it is still illegal.

### Can you adopt an orangutan?

You cannot take an orangutan home or own one, because the law bans owning and keeping protected animals. An 'adopt an orangutan' offer can only mean financial support for care. Before giving, check that the organisation works with the BKSDA, and that any release it claims had the Director General's approval and an official release report, as Regulation 17/2024 requires.

### How long do orangutans stay with their mothers?

About six to eight years. For the first two years an infant is in almost constant contact with its mother, it only becomes fully independent in moving around at five to six, and it shares her nest until weaning at six to eight. This is why orphaned orangutans need years of rehabilitation.

### Are orangutans dangerous?

They can be. IUCN guidelines note that former captive male orangutans can be aggressive towards humans, and that people living near release sites need to know the risk orangutans pose to adult men. Do not approach, feed or try to catch an orangutan. If you are bitten or scratched, go to a health facility straight away.

### What should I do if an orangutan comes into a farm or village?

Do not try to catch, chase off or move it yourself. The Ministry of Forestry asks people to contact the authorities, give a clear location, describe the animal's condition, take photos only if it is safe, and leave the handling to officials. In Kalimantan, the BKSDA call centres are West Kalimantan 0811-577-6767, Central Kalimantan 0811-5218-500 and East Kalimantan 0821-1333-8181. Research shows that moving orangutans should be reserved for exceptional circumstances.

### Where do I report orangutan trade or keeping?

Report it to the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement at pengaduan.gakkum.kehutanan.go.id (category: illegal wildlife trade), by email to pengaduan.gakkum@kehutanan.go.id or by phone on (021) 5790 2925, or to the BKSDA in your province. If someone is threatened or a crime is in progress, call the police on 110, which is free.

### Is it ethical to volunteer with orangutans or visit them as a tourist?

Yes, as long as there is no contact. IUCN guidelines ask everyone, including volunteers and visitors, to wear masks within 10 metres of great apes, and recommend regular health checks for staff, including tuberculosis tests. For tourism, the IUCN sets a minimum distance of 7 metres with an N95 mask or 10 metres without, bars visits by anyone who is unwell and bans using food to attract apes. It also recommends no tourism at all with rehabilitant orangutans that are eligible for release or already back in the forest.

### Will boycotting palm oil save orangutans?

It is not that simple. An IUCN analysis concluded that clearing land for oil palm has played a major role in orangutan decline, but pulp and paper plantations, fire, small-scale farming and especially hunting are also main threats. The IUCN notes that replacing palm oil with other oil crops would need a much larger global area of farmland. What matters most is that the forests orangutans live in are not cleared and that orangutans are not killed.

### Can every rescued orangutan go back to the wild?

No. Regulation 17/2024 only allows the release of animals that are healthy, wild in behaviour and not hybrids. Orangutans judged unfit for release are recommended for placement in a special facility or a conservation institution. Even for those released, one review reports survival rates of 20 to 80%, with an average of about 40%.

### How many Tapanuli orangutans are left?

The 2021–2023 surveys estimated about 716 individuals in three meta-populations in Batang Toru, Sumatra. Landslides after extreme rain in November 2025 are estimated to have hit an area home to about 11% of the West Block population, roughly 58 animals, so the true number is probably lower. Extra losses of more than 1% a year are enough to push the species towards extinction.

Readers outside Indonesia can [support orangutan rehabilitation in East Kalimantan](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/indonesia/east-kalimantan-orangutan-rehabilitation/) with World Animal Rescue Network. Related site: PanduanHewan’s founder is also a director of World Animal Rescue Network. PanduanHewan does not accept donations.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List: Pongo tapanuliensis (amended version 2024, assessed 11 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120588639/259042400)
- [Hadi et al. (2026) Population status of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: a comprehensive assessment 2021–2023. Global Ecology and Conservation 69: e04302](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04302)
- [Mongabay Indonesia: SRAK Orangutan 2019-2029 diluncurkan (14 Agustus 2019)](https://mongabay.co.id/2019/08/14/srak-orangutan-2019-2029-diluncurkan-strategi-apa-yang-diutamakan/)
- [Voigt et al. (2018) Global demand for natural resources eliminated more than 100,000 Bornean orangutans. Current Biology 28: 761–769](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.053)
- [Peraturan Menteri LHK No. P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018, lampiran jenis satwa dilindungi (Hominidae)](https://jdih.kehutanan.go.id/new2/uploads/files/P_106_2018_JENIS_TSL_menlhk_07252019152513.pdf)
- [UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Pasal IX](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/337869/uu-no-1-tahun-2026)
- [Species+ (UNEP-WCMC/CITES): Pongo pygmaeus, CITES listing](https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/7106/legal)
- [Kementerian Kehutanan: Menuju HKAN 2026, perjalanan mengantar tiga orangutan pulang ke rumah (24 Juni 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/menuju-hkan-2026-perjalanan-mengantar-tiga-orangutan-pulang-ke-rumah)
- [Sherman et al. (2022) Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation 276: 109744](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744)
- [IUCN Oil Palm Task Force (2018) Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.11.en)
- [IUCN Red List: Pongo pygmaeus (amended version 2024, assessed 8 February 2016)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17975/259043172)
- [Meijaard et al. (2011) Quantifying killing of orangutans and human-orangutan conflict in Kalimantan, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 6: e27491](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027491)
- [Bridgeland-Stephens, Thorpe & Chappell (2023) Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): lessons from a scoping review. Animal Welfare 32: e77](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.97)
- [Meijaard et al. (2026) Extreme rainfall further endangers the world's rarest great ape. Current Biology](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.029)
- [IUCN Red List: Pongo abelii (amended version 2024, assessed 16 October 2017)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/121097935/259045437)
- [Kompas.com: Orangutan Tapanuli ditemukan mati di tumpukan material banjir Tapteng (12 Desember 2025)](https://regional.kompas.com/read/2025/12/12/182857078/banjir-bandang-di-sumatera-utara-jasad-orangutan-tapanuli-ditemukan-di)
- [IUCN SSC CBSG & KLHK (2017) Orangutan Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Final Report](https://www.cpsg.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/2016%2520Orangutan%2520PHVA.pdf)
- [UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas UU No. 5 Tahun 1990 (pengesahan)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/295135/uu-no-32-tahun-2024)
- [UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang KUHP, Pasal 79 ayat (1) huruf g](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/234935/uu-no-1-tahun-2023)
- [UU No. 41 Tahun 2014, Pasal 66A ayat (1)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/38801/uu-no-41-tahun-2014)
- [Qanun Aceh Nomor 11 Tahun 2019 tentang Pengelolaan Satwa Liar, Pasal 16 ayat (2)](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/143286/qanun-prov-nad-no-11-tahun-2019)
- [Species+ (UNEP-WCMC/CITES): Pongo tapanuliensis, CITES listing](https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/101289/legal)
- [BBC News Indonesia: Misteri lima bayi orang utan di hutan India (September 2026)](https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cx2z39957z9o)
- [Freund, Rahman & Knott (2017) Ten years of orangutan-related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 79: e22620](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22620)
- [ANTARA: Kemenhut repatriasi 4 orangutan korban perdagangan ilegal di Thailand (24 Desember 2025)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5320183/kemenhut-repatriasi-4-orangutan-korban-perdagangan-ilegal-di-thailand)
- [Freund et al. (2024) Effects of captions on viewers' perceptions of images depicting human-primate interaction. Conservation Biology 38: e14199](https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199)
- [Beck et al. (2007) Best Practice Guidelines for the Re-introduction of Great Apes. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-035.pdf)
- [Sherman et al. (2021) Disease risk and conservation implications of orangutan translocations. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8: 749547](https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.749547)
- [Sophian (2026) Non-human primates as sentinels and reservoirs of emerging zoonotic diseases in Indonesia: a One Health perspective. Journal of Medical Primatology 55: e70101](https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.70101)
- [Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/309466/permen-lhk-no-17-tahun-2024)
- [Preuschoft et al. (2023) The development of feeding competence in rehabilitant orphaned orangutans and how to measure it. Animals 13: 2111](https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132111)
- [Wilson et al. (2014) Conservation strategies for orangutans: reintroduction versus habitat preservation and the benefits of sustainably logged forest. PLoS ONE 9: e102174](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102174)
- [Lavenia et al. (2024) Species identification of rehabilitated critically endangered orangutans through DNA forensic. Tropical Life Sciences Research 35(1): 123–137](https://doi.org/10.21315/tlsr2024.35.1.7)
- [Kementerian Kehutanan: Kemenhut lepasliarkan lima individu orangutan tahap ke-18 ke Taman Nasional Betung Kerihun (2 Juli 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/kembali-ke-rumah-kemenhut-lepasliarkan-lima-individu-orangutan-tahap-ke-18-ke-taman-nasional-betung-kerihun)
- [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.534/HKLN/09/2026: Upaya serius Kemenhut rescue satwa liar terdampak karhutla (17 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/upaya-serius-kemenhut-rescue-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla)
- [Sherman et al. (2025) Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks. PLOS ONE 20: e0317862](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317862)
- [Erb et al. (2018) Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports 8: 7606](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25847-1)
- [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.496/HKLN/09/2026: Hadapi dampak karhutla, Satgas Penyelamatan Satwa Liar Kalteng diperkuat (5 September 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/hadapi-dampak-karhutla-satgas-penyelamatan-satwa-liar-kalteng-diperkuat)
- [Katadata: BKSDA Kalbar evakuasi 24 satwa liar terdampak karhutla, paling banyak orangutan (September 2026)](https://katadata.co.id/ekonomi-hijau/ekonomi-sirkular/6aa3676c27cdd/bksda-kalbar-evakuasi-24-satwa-liar-terdampak-karhutla-paling-banyak-orangutan)
- [ANTARA: Kemenhut evakuasi 100 satwa liar dari lokasi karhutla (22 September 2026)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5753360/kemenhut-evakuasi-100-satwa-liar-dari-lokasi-karhutla)
- [Gakkum Kehutanan: Limpahkan tersangka penyelundupan satwa dilindungi ilegal lintas negara ke Kejaksaan (15 April 2026)](https://gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/siaran-pers/detail/gakkum-kehutanan-limpahkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-satwa-dilindungi-ilegal-lintas-negara-ke-kejaksaan-tinggi-aceh-timur)
- [Kementerian Kehutanan Siaran Pers SP.26/HUMAS/PPIP/HMS.3/02/2026: Gakkum Kehutanan tetapkan tersangka penyelundupan ratusan satwa liar dilindungi ke Thailand (2 Februari 2026)](https://www.kehutanan.go.id/news/gakkum-kehutanan-tetapkan-tersangka-penyelundupan-ratusan-satwa-liar-dilindungi-ke-thailand)
- [Ditjen Gakkum Kehutanan: Pengaduan Penegakan Hukum Kehutanan (kontak)](https://pengaduan.gakkum.kehutanan.go.id/)
- [Direktorat Jenderal KSDAE: Balai KSDA dan Taman Nasional](https://ksdae.kehutanan.go.id/balai-ksda-tn/)
- [Polri: Call Center 110](https://polri.go.id/kontak/call-center-110)
- [Macfie & Williamson (2010) Best Practice Guidelines for Great Ape Tourism. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group](https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/SSC-OP-038.pdf)
- [Ditjen KSDAE: Dokumen SRAK, Strategi dan Rencana Aksi Konservasi Orangutan Indonesia Tahun 2019–2029](https://ksdae.kehutanan.go.id/spesies/rencana-aksi/?page=2)