Kenaya

The rescue operation began with a report from local villagers on the presence of a pet orangutan in Krio Hulu Village. YIARI immediately sent a team to verify the report. The investigation confirmed Kenaya’s existence. Members of the Ketapang unit of the BKSDA and a team from YIARI then immediately travelled to the location to remove the orangutan.

Kenaya was immediately taken to our orangutan rehabilitation centre in Ketapang to undergo further tests. She spent the next eight weeks in quarantine. During this time, she underwent further detailed examinations to ensure she did not carry dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to other orangutans at the centre.

Even though it is illegal to keep an orangutan as a pet, at the time of Kenaya’s rescue in 2019 cases were still common in Ketapang District, particularly in remote areas far from the city centre. In cases where a baby orangutan is being kept, it is almost certain that the mother orangutan has been killed to get her child. Normally, a baby orangutan will stay with its mother until it is between six and eight years. The mother orangutan will look after her child for as long as the infant is dependent on her. 

At the time of rescue Karmele L. Sanchez, IAR Indonesia Programme Director, said:

​“We can see a very positive change in the Ketapang community because the number of orangutans being cared for is getting smaller and the people in Ketapang are increasingly understanding the importance of orangutan protection. We value highly the role of the community in reporting the existence of orangutans that have been illegally trafficked and kept as pets.”