Rescued Baby Orangutan Doesn’t Have a Mom, So These Kind People Are Giving Him a Chance

Orangutans share 97 percent of their DNA with humans and have proven themselves to be highly intelligent and resourceful. When they are in their natural rainforest habitats, they spend virtually all of their time in the treetops, caring for their loved ones, exploring their environment, and foraging for food. Just like the rest of us, they want to live in peace and free from harm.

Not all humans see these amazing creatures as the thoughtful and sensitive beings they are, however. International Animal Rescue (IAR), a worldwide animal rescue organization that is dedicated to saving and rehabilitating endangered and at-risk animals shared this heartbreaking story, which unfortunately, proves this point.

Baby Paijo was rescued during a three-day orangutan rescue operation in which IAR’s team saved a baby, a juvenile, and a mother and baby.

Paijo is less than four months old and is currently receiving treatment and care at IAR’s center in West Borneo.

While we don’t know for sure what happened to his mother, it is highly unlikely that his mother abandoned him. It’s more plausible that she was killed or captured by poachers.

Paijo is now safe and will soon join the other orphans in orangutan baby school, where he will learn all he needs to know to survive in the wild.

Good luck, Paijo! 

We are happy to say that Paijo is now safe at the International Animal Rescue’s rescue and rehabilitation center. He will be given expert treatment and care and with time, baby Paijo will learn how to be a wild orangutan again.

We are thankful Paijo was rescued but that’s not the case for all. Karmele Llano Sanchez, Program Director for International Animal Rescue Indonesia, said, “We can’t envisage a bright future for orangutans if their habitat continues to be lost at this rapid rate.”

Orangutans may not be with us for much longer, due to the palm oil industry’s destructive actions. This sought after oil can be found in around 50 percent of consumer goods, and this high demand is fueling the continued destruction of Indonesia’s vital rainforests. Over 90 percent of the orangutan’s original habitat has been destroyed and converted to palm oil plantations, leaving these animals with nowhere to go. If orangutans wander onto a palm plantation, they can be shot on sight. Over the past two decades, 20,000 of these animals have met their deaths at the hands of the palm oil industry, with at least 1,000 of them directly killed for their presence on palm plantations each year. When parts of the rainforest are cleared, orangutans are left without food. In order to feed themselves, they have no choice but to enter nearby villages in search for food. Unfortunately, this often leads to mother orangutans getting killed by poachers, and their babies get stolen and sold to wildlife parks or kept as pets.

We can all help to end this rampant destruction by choosing planet-friendly alternatives to palm oil. You can also help by supporting the Human-Orangutan Conflict team and enable them to save other orangutans just like Paijo who are waiting for rescue. Click here to learn more.

All image Source: International Animal Rescue/Facebook