Orangutan Stands Up To Heartless Machine Devastating His Home

The scene is, unfortunately, happening much more often. For most of us, the fact is extremely worrisome. In 2018, a huge excavator was thundering through the forest picking up cut trees arranged in large piles. That is when an orangutan leaped down and stood on a big trunk. He seemingly tried the best his hands allowed to stop the man-made machine from carrying on.

In the video, the orangutan is seen trying to cling to the metal that lacks any warmth. But he slips. The orangutan falls on the cut-down pile of trees. These trees were his home once. Perhaps nature knew what was going on. The rain poured down as the mammal struggled to climb onto the machine again. He was shaking.

Image credits: International Animal Rescue

The whole of the forest surrounding him was cleared by the machines.

It Is A Merciless Foe For The Orangutan

This heartbreaking scene took place in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan. The whole sequence of events had been fortunately immortalized through the video clip. The incident took place after a crew of a construction company was recently demolishing and clearing a part of the Forest named Sungai Putri. Bornean orangutans are an endangered species and the forest is one of the last remaining known habitats of the species.

Read: Rainforest Logging In British Columbia’s Great Bear Is A Huge Loophole

Fortunately, close by was the International Animal Rescue (IAR) organization. They managed to quickly rescue the orangutan from the dangerous situation. They then took him to a protected and remote area of a forest.

However, the desperation in the animal’s plight is a clear indicator of how much humans have pushed these animals. We have continued indiscriminately to destroy their homes and lives for the needs of our species.

IAR provided a statement with the video. They said that such scenes have increased in frequency, especially in Indonesia. As such, it is an extremely unfortunate situation. Furthermore, they continued, that extensive deforestation has caused the population of orangutans to drastically decrease. Their habitats are left devastated. As such, the mammals are left with little to no food. Their lives usually end in starvation.

The Forest called Sungai Putri is among the only habitats left for Bornean orangutans in the wild. However, the place faces an imminent threat. Plantations for producing palm oil are among the several development projects that are looking to expand into the area.

How Long Can The Orangutan Hold Out?

The Indonesian branch of animal rights organization Greenpeace recently investigated the situation of the area. They have made the revelation that there six illegal settlements from where logging was being carried out, at least. The logging reportedly usually happens in the dead of night. However, it does not even spare areas where orangutan mothers have constructed nests where they can care for their babies.

Since the 70s, orangutans of Borneo have lost over fifty percent of their original homes in the wild. This number is only because of operations for logging such as this one. Moreover, it is not only the homes of the apes that are demolished. Many orangutans risk being shot and killed when they try to come back to such claimed land. Palm plantations, once active, consider them as wild trespassers.

Karmele Llano Sanchez, Indonesia’s IAR program director, released a statement on the matter with the video. He said that the forest is among the only places where such a large population of the animal still exists. Moreover, they have reached a point of crisis regarding the orangutan in Borneo. He added that without forests like the Sungai Putri, the animals cannot survive.

Read: Orangutan Offers A Helping Hand: A Lesson In Kindness For Mankind

IAR is trying their best at zero-point in Indonesia. They have stepped up their efforts to conserve land which in turn should protect the homes of the orangutans. However, development continues to level forests. As such, the organization needs every bit of help we can give so that these endangered animals can keep living.