orangutan.
genus of ape found in rainforests on the Southeast Asian islands of Sumatra and Borneo
Indonesia wildfires rescue seven orangutans West Kalimantan
Wildfires across six Indonesian provinces in Borneo and Sumatra have burned at least 202,010 hectares this year, triggering respiratory illnesses in wildlife and people. In West Kalimantan, Sampurna, a ~20-year-old orangutan found fainting near a palm-oil plantation, is receiving oxygen and IV fluids and will be moved to a rehabilitation center for eventual release after rescuers have already saved seven orangutans this season.
Environment · 7 sources · Aug 31, 2026Read itThe journal
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About orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species. In 1996, they were divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan ; a third species, the Tapanuli orangutan, was identified definitively in 2017. The orangutans are the only surviving members of the subfamily Ponginae, which diverged genetically from the other hominids between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago.
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