One-armed orangutan back in Indonesian forest

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This video from Indonesia is called IAR staff change orangutan Pelangsi’s dressing after part of his arm was amputated.

In some sources, the spelling is Pelangsi; in others, Pelansi.

Orangutan Pelansi after surgery in Ketapang, Indonesia. Photo courtesy of International Animal Rescue Indonesia

From Wildlife Extra:

One armed orangutan released back into forest after rehabilitation

Pelansi, the Bornean orangutan who lost his hand after being caught in a snare, is given the gift of freedom for Christmas.

December 2012. A young male orangutan that spent several days trapped in a snare resulting in the amputation of his right hand and half his arm, has been released back into the forests of West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo after months of treatment and rehabilitation.

Original forest now a palm oil plantation

A team from International Animal Rescue Indonesia (Yayasan IAR Indonesia) and the Agency for Natural Resources Conservation (BKSDA) Ketapang have released Pelansi in Pematang Gadung forest. As his original home in the forest has been completely destroyed and converted into palm plantations, Pelansi has had to be reintroduced into a different area. After the release, a team of experts will follow and monitor Pelansi closely to see how he is coping with his disability.

Pematang Gadung is one of the forests in Ketapang Regency with the richest biodiversity. Many endangered species can be found in the forest which is patrolled and monitored by a volunteer group of local villagers from the community of Pematang Gadung. Yet this area is not currently officially protected. “With the release of this orangutan and by raising awareness of the condition of orangutans and their habitat in Ketapang, we also hope that Pematang Gadung will be given the protected status that it deserves” states Adi Irawan, Manager of the International Animal Rescue programme in Ketapang.

Arm amputated

In April 2012, Yayasan IAR Indonesia and the BKSDA in Ketapang mounted a rescue operation to free Pelansi after he had been caught in a snare near a palm plantation. He had been trapped for days without food or water. The tissue on his hand had become necrotic as a result of the snare around his wrist and he had injured his elbow in his desperate attempts to get free. His condition was extremely serious and for the first few days the medical team feared for his life.

Luckily the rescue team reached Pelansi (named after the place where he was found) in the nick of time. He was rushed to IAR’s Orangutan Rehabilitation and Conservation Centre in Ketapang where he gradually recovered from his injuries and his life-threatening condition. In May 2012 the IAR medical team, led by wildlife specialist vet Dr Paolo Martelli (Chief Veterinarian of Ocean Park in Hong Kong), carried out a complex and lengthy surgical procedure to amputate Pelansi’s hand which had suffered extensive damage and could not be saved.

For weeks after the rescue, International Animal Rescue’s medical team in Indonesia continued Pelansi’s intensive care until he was clearly on the road to recovery. However it wasn’t until six months post-operation that he was considered to be healthy and strong enough to be released.

Common story – With a happier ending

“Pelansi’s fate is no different to that of many other orangutans: their populations are rapidly being decimated in the wild, leading to serious concerns about their future survival,” says Karmele Llano Sanchez, a veterinarian and Executive Director of IAR Indonesia.

Orangutans are being pushed to the brink of extinction. This great ape that once inhabited a large area within South East Asia, is now confined to a small part of the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Yet the survival of the species is threatened even on these two remaining islands by hunting, habitat destruction, human-orangutan conflict and the wildlife pet trade.

“Human-orangutan conflict is tragically inevitable when the expansion of monocultures like oil palm and the conversion of forest into agricultural land are escalating,” adds Karmele Llano.

Says Alan Knight, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue: “We have all been eagerly awaiting the day of Pelansi’s release. When endangered species like the orangutan are in crisis, every single individual counts. Pelansi’s story is cause for celebration, not only because his life has been saved, but also because his reintroduction into the wild is a small but symbolic step in support of orangutan conservation.”

April 2013. A young orangutan that was being kept in a sack has been rescued by the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC), a conservation group working in Sumatra. The orangutan, a male thought to be around two years old, was being kept illegally by an oil palm plantation worker: here.

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