Indonesia: Baby orangutan saved from Borneo wildfires as habitat destruction escalates

Loading the video No Comment Video. Indonesia: Baby orangutan saved from Borneo wildfires as habitat destruction escalates Copy/paste the link below: Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Updated: 09/10/2026 - 15:28 GMT+2 A young orangutan has been rescued from wildfires in Borneo. Named Novita, the three- to four-year-old female was found clinging to a tree in Central Kalimantan on 26 September, with burns to her hands and feet after crossing the flames. Rescuers from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation tranquilised her and gave her oxygen and intravenous fluids before taking her to the Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation centre in Palangkaraya. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On Thursday, officials said her burns were improving, but warned she might not make a full recovery. Novita is among dozens of orangutans rescued from fires across Sumatra and Borneo in recent months. The fires have intensified during Indonesia's dry season amid drought linked to El Niño. Government figures put the area burned between January and July at more than 202,000 hectares; satellite monitoring by Nusantara Atlas estimated nearly 896,000 hectares had burned by the end of August. The fires are destroying habitat and worsening regional haze. Smoke has also caused respiratory symptoms among orangutans at the BOS Foundation's care facility in Central Kalimantan. Indonesia orangutan Wildfires Rescue rain forest El Niño Top stories Now playing Next Indonesia: Baby orangutan saved from Borneo wildfires as habitat destruction escalates Now playing Next Seals and sea lions undergo hearing tests in Australian research Now playing Next Spain: Madrid protesters mourn evicted pensioner Maricarmen Abascal Now playing Next Latest news bulletin | October 9th, 2026 – Morning Now playing Next ‘I still want to verify this’: Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay’s first reaction Now playing Next Cars burned and shops looted as anti-immigration protests rock South Africa Now playing Next Chile: Santiago flooding turns streets to rivers as Kast declares state of catastrophe Now playing Next Mélenchon declares ‘Bastille retaken’ after major student rally Now playing Next Marco Rubio calls Portugal 'ideal gateway' to Europe for US Now playing Next Inside Kazakhstan’s rock-hewn mosques now recognised by UNESCO In partnership with MDQ Now playing Next Fire rages at Yandex data centre after Ukraine drone attack Now playing Next French students 'retake Bastille', Trump 'unwilling' to help Ukraine Now playing Next Interpol operation seized 2,800 illegal firearms across Europe and Asia Now playing Next Inside Kazakhstan’s historic rock-hewn mosques now recognised by UNESCO Now playing Next Jurist Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 Now playing Next Violence is 'not general' in French students protests, MEP says ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT No Comment Deadly floods sweep Albania and Montenegro as rivers burst banks No Comment Hundreds of farmers rally in Paris against EU-Mercosur pact and import fears No Comment Tiny turtles take their first steps towards the sea No Comment Heavy autumn snow paralyses roads in Russia’s Far East Europe Today Associate EU membership 'very interesting' for New Zealand, says former prime minister Europe Today Latest attacks on Ukraine are ‘war crimes done by Putin’, says Ukrainian politician Climate Hungary's 2026 drought is the country's most severe in 126 years, data shows Europe Today Rima Hassan denies throwing the EU flag to the floor at 7 October commemoration World News US sailors reunite with families as USS Abraham Lincoln returns home USA 'Modern-day Thomas Edison': Trump awards Elon Musk top US science medal USA US military will livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, 'torture' for UN Europe Today Europe Today: French students 'retake Bastille', Trump 'unwilling' to help Ukraine ADVERTISEMENT World News Fire rages at Yandex data centre after Ukraine drone attack Europe News ‘We will continue’: Madrid protesters pay tribute to 87-year-old woman Sport Tsunoda Claims World Gold as Murao Retains His Title in Baku Europe News Mélenchon declares ‘Bastille retaken’ after major student rally in Paris Europe News Marco Rubio calls Portugal 'ideal gateway' to Europe for US during Lisbon visit No Comment French students clash with police as school protests continue Azerbaijan Experts in Baku urge action as missing persons surge worldwide and in Ukraine Focus Turkmenistan marks 35 years of independence with an eye on the future ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT