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East Kutai orangutans struggle to survive amid massive habitat loss
He noted that some of the orangutans he encountered appeared skinny, with their fur thinning because of malnutrition. Other primates, he added, have adapted to the food scarcity by begging humans for food.
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This screen grab taken from video released by Ahmad Baihaqi shows a critically endangered orangutan walking in a coal mine on Jan. 27, 2025, in East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan. (via AFP/Courtesy of Ahmad Baihaqi)
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housands of orangutans in East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan, are fighting for survival as vast stretches of their lush rainforest habitat rapidly give way to mines, residential developments and sprawling oil palm plantations.
In recent years, sightings of orangutans near human settlements, roads and even mining concessions have become increasingly common in the regency.
Last month, a video of a seemingly disoriented orangutan wandering the barren expanse of a coal mine in East Kutai went viral, reigniting fears over the future of the critically endangered species.
The male orangutan was seen roaming across a chasm of sand streaked with white and black rocks surrounded by vegetation, only meters away from excavators.
During a recent visit to the area, The Jakarta Post spotted three orangutans near Jl Poros in Bengalon district, not far from the coal mine.
Among them were a female orangutan and her baby, calmly perched in trees just meters from the road, seemingly undisturbed by the heavy traffic or the deafening sounds of nearby mining operations.
Most of the once-lush rainforest along the 30-kilometer stretch connecting Kutai Timur to Berau regency has been cleared for coal mining and oil palm plantations. Yet, amid the remaining patches of greenery, numerous orangutan nests could still be spotted.
