India returns orangutan to home in Indonesia after being rescued 2 years ago

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - India on Monday said it has returned an orangutan to its home in Indonesia, nearly two years after the great ape, native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, was rescued from the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

“A baby orangutan of Sumatran origin, rescued in India in November 2024, was repatriated to Indonesia,” the Indian Embassy in Indonesia wrote on US social media company X.

It said the orangutan was repatriated from India’s western state of Gujarat and arrived at Indonesia’s Kualanamu Airport earlier on Monday.

Officials said that, since its rescue, the orangutan “has received necessary veterinary healthcare and appropriate habitat facilities from Indian wildlife authorities,” and the Indian government has “waived all historical costs incurred for the orang-utan's care and maintenance prior to repatriation.”

New Delhi said the “successful repatriation reflects the close bilateral ties between India and Indonesia and their shared commitment to the protection and conservation of endangered species.”

Efforts are also underway to facilitate the prompt repatriation of five young orangutans rescued in the Indian state of Odisha in September this year, the embassy said.

“The orangutans are currently under care and protection,,” it said.

The repatriation has come as Indonesia battles forest fires. Indonesian authorities rescued 46 orangutans last week from forest and land fires as spreading wildfires continue to destroy habitats and threaten endangered wildlife in the Southeast Asian nation.