Indonesian villagers accidentally burn orangutan they were trying to smoke out of fruit tree

They were frightened it would destroy their crops

Luckily, conservationists intervened and the animal will make full recovery



Villagers trying to smoke an orangutan out of a fruit tree where he was sheltering accidentally set him on fire.

The distressed animal had been hiding in the leaves above the village of Lower Wajok in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, because its habitat had been disturbed, wildlife experts said.

Locals concerned that it would eat the fruit from the rambutan tree and destroying their crops tried to make it move on by lighting a fire under it on Sunday.

Injured creature: Villagers said they had simply been trying to persuade the animal to move away and not eat their fruit

Worrying development: The orangutan had strayed from the jungle into a rambutan tree

Close call: Locals feared the animal would devastate crops and attempted to force it to flee by setting fire to trees

Experts had initially tried to give it a tranquilliser but their efforts had failed.

The flames were lifted by the wind, however, and set light to the poor creature's fur.

Villagers fought to put out the fire, but fortunately the orangutan fell out of the tree and a rescue team from International Animal Rescue was able to treat its burns.

The charity is now caring for the animals and it is expected to make a full recovery in three to four days.

Head of the Natural Resources Conservation Center ( BKSDA) in West Kalimantan told BBC Indonesia that the orangutan went to the village because its habitat had been disturbed.



The animal is wild, not a pet, so it does not need to be rehabilitated, and its vet said it will now be returned to the jungle.

On fire: This is the dramatic moment the orangutan was accidentally set alight during a bungled rescue attempt that went terribly wrong

Safety: Rescuers put the orangutan in a box for transportation - but vets said it would recover in days

Badly burned: The wounded orangutan was treated by environmental activists after the fire was put out and it was rescued from the tree

Bizarre occurrence: There are thousands of orangutans in West Kalimantan but none have ever been set on fire before

One local, Ali Zakaria, said: 'It's been 60 years I've lived here. This is just the first time it has happened in the village. Yesterday he made a nest in the palm trees.'



Niken wuri Handayani, Coordinator of Forest Ecosystem Operator BKSDA in West Kalimantan, said: 'Our focus is on evacuation.'

The rehabilitation process is only conducted by the conservation centre if orangutans are living as domestic animals. The nest has been cut down so it will not return.



BKSDA said villagers are educated to not hurt orangutans and report to the organisation if they need help moving the orangutans.



In West Kalimantan, there are about 4,500 to 5,000 orangutans under the watch of the centre, and this is the first time one had been set on fire.

Experts had initially tried to give it a tranquilliser but their efforts had failed

See you later! The animal should not need rehab because it is a wild creature and was never domestic









