JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities rescued a mother orangutan and her baby from wildfire smoke on the island of Borneo, officials said on Thursday.

The vast archipelago has been battling for weeks to contain wildfires that have left thick smog blanketing parts of Borneo and Sumatra, with haze also drifting across the border to Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Acting on a tip-off, conservation officials located the orangutan on Wednesday in Central Kalimantan province after it was spotted clinging to the top of a tree, local conservation agency official Muriansyah said on Thursday.

The animal was surrounded by haze rising from nearby burned peatland, prompting officials to evacuate it immediately. “If we don’t carry out the rescue, I was concerned for (the safety) of the orangutan,” Muriansyah, who like many Indo­nesians goes by one name, said, citing the potential health risks posed by the smog.

During the operation, rescuers discovered the orangutan was carrying a baby. Officials named the mother, estimated to be 20 years old, Raya after a nearby street where she was found, and her one-year-old daughter, Rayu, Muriansyah added.

He said recently burned terrain and darkness added to the complexity of the nighttime rescue operation. A preliminary veterinary check-up found the orangutans were not injured, and that they had not been seriously affected by the smoke, Muriansyah said.

The orangutans were then transported to a clinic for observation, said Heriyanto, a Central Kalimantan province natural re­­­­­s­­o­­urces and conservation agency official.

“If they are healthy and can be released into the wild immediately, they will be released,” Heriyanto said.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2026