Orang Utan mother and baby attacked during forest fire
Villagers attack orangutan mother and baby trying to escape forest fires in Borneo
Quote:
As the Indonesian fires rage on, the expression on a struggling orangutan's face has powerfully illustrated the human-orangutan conflict in the region.
To escape the out-of-control forest fires burning in Borneo, an orangutan with baby by her side attempted to take refuge in a village only to be attacked by frightened villagers, an animal rights organisation reported.
"The villagers threw things at the terrified mother before attempting to capture and tie her up," International Animal Rescue (IAR) said.
A team from IAR reached the struggling mother and her baby who were quickly anaesthetised.
"Fortunately our team got to her just in time," IAR said.
"They have now been translocated and released into a safe area of protected rainforest and are being monitored by a conservation team to ensure that they are recovering well from their terrible ordeal."
A photograph of the moment the mother and baby were saved shows the emaciated mother's expression of exhaustion yet relief as a rescuer tenderly reaches out to hold her head.
The baby is seen gripping tightly to mum's side after their ordeal.
The rescue team worked in the midst of a large crowd of almost 100 local people, who were told to call IAR when they next encountered an orangutan.
How could they be that scared of a single mother Orang utan and its infant child to the point where they thought it would be okay to just attack it? I'm glad they were rescued though. I don't want to click the image, I'm not here for crying any time soon.
How could they be that scared of a single mother Orang utan and its infant child to the point where they thought it would be okay to just attack it? I'm glad they were rescued though. I don't want to click the image, I'm not here for crying any time soon.
