(14 Jan 2016) ALONG THE CHARRED BANKS OF A RIVER IN CENTRAL BORNEO -- GREAT APES ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE.
ALREADY ENDANGERED BY ILLEGAL POACHING AND LOGGING - RECENT FOREST FIRES HAVE DEVASTATED THEIR NATURAL HABITAT on the asian island.
YET TEAMS OF CONSERVATIONISTS ARE ON A MISSION TO SAVE THEM.
THEY HAVE TO DRIVE ABOUT THREE HOURS INTO THE BLACKENED FOREST THEN TRANSFER TO BOAT BEFORE SPOTTING THE MAMMALS.
ABOUT 30 WILD ORANGUTANS ARE SAID TO BE IN THE AREA.
THE TEAM SPOTS ONE SWINGING FROM BRANCHES -- THEN ONE OF THE MEN CAREFULLY TAKE AIM WITH A TRANQUILIZER GUN, AND SHOOTS.
SEDATED... THE APE GENTLY FALLS TO THE FOREST FLOOR..
ONCE ON THE GROUND -- VETS RUSH IN TO CHECK THEIR VITAL SIGNS AND THEIR TEETH -- A WAY TO LEARN THEIR AGE.
THE ORANGUTAN THEY'VE DISCOVERED IS MALNOURISHED.
EVEN AS THEY BRING HIM BACK ONTO THEIR BOAT, THEY KNOW SOME WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.
SOUNDBITE ( Indonesian) : Ahmad Sayoko, coordinator of rescue and release mission
"We cannot rescue all the orangutans because we can transport only a few orangutans to be released in one go."
SINCE LAST MONTH THE RESCUERS HAVE BEEN TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH ALONG THE RIVER.
DURING THIS PARTICULAR TRIP THEY'VE MANGED TO FIND THREE APES...
THEY LOAD THEM ONTO THEIR BOAT... AFTER A SIX-HOUR JOURNEY DOWN RIVER, THE ORANGUTANS REACH THEIR NEW HOME.
((nats out of cage))
QUICKLY THEY BOUND UP TREES.
ALTHOUGH THE APES HAVE MONITORING CHIPS... THE TEAM'S WORK ENDS HERE... THEY CAN ONLY HOPE THIS NEW HOME OFFERS THEM A GOOD START.
YET THE GREAT APES CONTINUE TO FACE THREATS.
CONSERVATIONISTS ESTIMATE THAT OVER THE PAST SIXTY YEARS, THE NUMBER OF ORANGUTANS IN BORNEO HAS DECREASED BY HALF.
PADMANANDA RAMA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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