Extremely Rare Albino Orangutan Rescued From Captivity

An extremely rare albino orangutan that was separated from her mother has been found and rescued on the Indonesian island of Borneo. According to a report by the Associated Press, this is the first time in its 25 years of conservation work, that the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation has ever seen an albino orangutan. The female ape was rescued from villagers earlier in the year and the foundation is now providing her with round-the-clock care in a darkened room in order not to subject the sensitive ape to too much light. Apparently, she is getting stronger every day.

Recovering from trauma of separation

Nico Hermanu a spokesperson for the foundation says the baby orangutan still has a long way to go in order to recover fully from the trauma of losing her mother and being captured illegally. Experts at the foundation think that the albino orangutan was able to survive in the wild thanks to a protective mother who she was unfortunately separated from somehow.

Authorities were contacted

Villagers from Central Kalimantan province said the orangutan had wandered away from the forest so they kept her for a couple of days the foundation said. Fortunately, other villagers contacted the authorities and a government conservation agency and asked for help. A local veterinarian told the Associated Press that when she was rescued, the orangutan was extremely stressed and she suffered from dehydration. The vet said the ape was curled up and weighed just 8.3 kilograms which for a five-year-old female orangutan is very skinny.

Bornean orangutan critically endangered species

The foundation is unsure whether they will ever be able to release her into the wild again, but they hope the orangutan will become a powerful symbol in the effort to save the species. Last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially declared the Bornean orangutan as critically endangered as a result of hunting and deforestation.