Sumatran orangutans in rehab – in pictures
Members of the critically endangered species are cared for and nursed back to health before their release at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme’s rehabilitation centre in Kuta Mbelin, North Sumatra, Indonesia
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The rehab centre in Kuta Mbelin deals with orphaned, injured and captive orangutans, with the aim of returning them to their natural habitat -
Young orangutans in the centre’s playgound -
Although it is illegal to capture or keep them, young orangutans are still highly valued as pets. Orangutan mothers are usually killed to obtain the infants -
However, the single biggest threat to orangutans in both Borneo and Sumatra is the loss of their rainforest habitat -
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Forests are cleared for timber or for palm oil or pulp and paper concessions, or by smaller-scale farmers to gain extra agricultural land -
Forests are also degraded and damaged by illegal logging, by fires and by drainage of adjacent areas, which is a particular problem in the peat swamp forests -
Since the programme started in 1999, more than 250 orangutans have been brought to the centre and 220 have been transferred to the rainforest for reintroduction -
Vets operate on an injured orangutan -
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Nail polish is put on the orangutan to distract him after the surgery -
The great apes undergo checks before they are ready to be released -
Dina, a baby orangutan who was rescued from illegal trade suffering from malaria, recovers in the clinic -
Orangutans share 96.7% of their DNA with humans, they recognise themselves in the mirror, and learn from and teach each other new skills -
The facilities at the centre were built mostly by local villagers, and most of the current staff grew up nearby -
The majority of the orangutans’ food is locally grown fruit and vegetables, which helps involve farmers with the project -
A palm oil plantation in Trumon, South Aceh. Indonesia has approved palm oil concessions on nearly 15 million acres of peatlands in recent years -
Thousands of square miles have been cleared for plantations, including lowland areas that are the prime habitat for orangutans. Here is the scene of a recent clearance of peatland forest near Iemeudama village -
New arrivals have to undergo extensive medical checks and a minimum 30-day quarantine period to ensure they carry no illnesses. Only healthy orangutans are allowed to have any contact with other inhabitants -
Once fit and healthy, the orangutans are gradually introduced to others. They learn to interact with each other and groups are established that can later be transferred to one of the reintroduction sites together -
An x-ray of Tengku, a Sumatran orangutan who was rescued from a community farm and was found to have more than 60 air rifle pellets in his body -
An orangutan being put in to a cage before being transferred to be released -
Ready for the journey to freedom -
Find out more about the programme’s work at sumatranorangutan.org
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