Update – September 2026
As forest fires continue to burn across Indonesia, our partners on the ground remain on high alert. Although the immediate threat to the orangutan centre has subsided, the fires still threaten wild orantugans in the local vicinity. Very recently, they received a heartbreaking call. An adult male orangutan, later named Sampurna, had been found in Laman Satong Village, where a fire had burned just the day before, leaving the air thick with dense, toxic smoke.
He was extremely weak and by the time our rescue team arrived he was unconscious. Poor Sampurna was struggling to breathe as a result of the toxic haze. Our team delivered vital emergency care and rushed him to the rescue centre in critical condition, but tragically, despite the very best efforts of YIARI’s veterinary team, Sampurna passed away.
The effects of smoke inhalation and hypoxia were simply too damaging for his already weakened body.
Sampurna’s story is part of a much bigger crisis. He is the ninth orangutan YIARI has rescued in the last month alone as a direct result of the forest fires.
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Update – August 2026
Right now, a severe forest fire is raging less than 100 metres from the orangutan rescue centre! Program Director, Karmele Llano Sanchez, has confirmed this is the worst fire our team has ever faced near the centre.
The team is battling the flames round the clock, working through exhaustion to protect the centre and the orangutans inside. The situation is so critical that staff from across the organisation have dropped their normal duties to help fight the fire.
Orangutans have been evacuated from their forest islands into cages for their safety, and a water-bombing helicopter is working overhead right now to try to stop the fire’s advance. We’ve been watching the risk of forest fires grow for months, with a predicted Super El Niño raising fears across the region. But this is the moment those fears have become a direct, immediate threat to our centre and the animals in our care.
Fires are meters away!
The fire situation in West Kalimantan is escalating rapidly. Hundreds, if not thousands, of fires continue to burn out of control, while the resources available to fight them are becoming increasingly stretched and the teams on the ground are exhausted.Karmele Llano Sanchez, YIARI CEO
The situation is becoming unbearable. It is difficult to imagine what the next two months of drought could bring.