Indonesia orangutan sanctuary says villagers encroaching
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A conservation group says nearly a fifth of the forest in an orangutan sanctuary on the Indonesian part of Borneo has been taken over by people, threatening efforts to rehabilitate the critically endangered great apes for release into the wild.
People thought to have migrated from other parts of Indonesia have occupied part of the sanctuary, cut down trees and planted crops including palm oil, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation spokesman Nico Hermanu said Thursday.
The human activities are near a “forest school” where more than 20 orangutans live semi-independently and learn how to find food, build nests and other skills they need for survival — a crucial part of their rehabilitation from trauma often inflicted by people, who take babies for pets or kill the animals for wandering into plantations.
The foundation bought the land for the 1,850-hectare (4,571-acre) sanctuary from locals over several years and restored its forest. It now cares for 170 orangutans overall.