International Animal Rescue

Widespread destruction of the rainforest and the illegal trade in primates in Indonesia inflict terrible suffering on animals that are caught from the wild to be killed for bushmeat or sold as pets. They also pose the threat of extinction to some endangered species. International Animal Rescue's team in Indonesia specialises in rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans, macaques and slow lorises and releasing them back into protected areas in the wild.

Orangutans

For one species in Indonesia - the orangutan - the situation could not be more critical. The survival of the entire species is under serious threat, with individual animals suffering and dying at a terrifying rate because of the systematic destruction of the rainforest, particularly in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo.

Our team is working in West Kalimantan to rescue and care for an increasing number of orangutans - some only babies whose mothers have died trying to protect them, others full-grown adults that have spent years living in loneliness and squalor, chained up or imprisoned behind the bars of tiny cages.

International Animal Rescue is using a small temporary rescue centre in Ketapang, West Kalimantan to care for rescued orangutans while we work on the construction of a much larger, permanent facility. However the ultimate goal is to release them back into protected areas of rainforest where they can live safely in their natural environment. The project is an ambitious one but we are committed to doing whatever we can to protect and preserve these endangered primates.

» Meet our resident orangutans

Macaques

Various species of macaque live in different parts of Indonesia: pig-tailed and long-tailed macaques have no legal protection. They are caught from the wild and exported for research, or eaten as a delicacy, but mostly they are kept chained up or caged as pets in miserable isolation.

Our team rescues macaques which have often spent years in captivity. Owners cannot be forced to hand them over but often they are happy to part with a pet which was once small and cuddly but has grown into a strong and dangerous wild animal. After rescue, veterinary check-ups and a period in quarantine, the macaques are socialised in groups. Over time they learn to behave like monkeys and establish a natural hierarchy before being released back into the wild.

International Animal Rescue also helps the macaques by educating people in animal welfare and raising awareness of the dangers of keeping these animals as pets and the risk of zoonotic diseases, as well as campaigning to win macaques some legal protection in Indonesia.

Slow lorises

The slow loris is a nocturnal primate which, even though it is legally protected in Indonesia, is frequently and openly traded. Lorises are sold at the roadside to passing drivers and in the notorious animal markets. Jakarta alone has three big markets where all kinds of animals are traded, both legally and illegally.

Before being sold the lorises' teeth are clipped off by the trader to prevent them from biting. As a result many of them die a slow, painful death from severe blood loss and infection.

As it is illegal to trade slow lorises, International Animal Rescue works closely with the local authorities and the police to catch the dealers and bring them to court. We aim to return rescued lorises to the wild whenever possible, but also provide lifelong sanctuary for any animals that can no longer fend for themselves.

Without IAR’s commitment to saving the slow loris, there would be nowhere to house animals confiscated from the markets or surrendered by their owners and the prospects for this endangered primate would be even bleaker.

Related items

» Orangutan rehabilitation centre
» Primate diaries blog
» Encyclopaedia Britannica: Protecting Primates in Indonesia Part 1
» Encyclopaedia Britannica: Protecting Primates in Indonesia Part 2
» Volunteer and help build a future for orangutans