Six endangered Bornean orangutans have been returned to the Indonesian wild after rehabilitation.
Budi the orangutan is back in the wild
The critically endangered primates were released last month by the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) - together with the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya Natural Park Authority (TNBBBR) and YIARI.
The BKSDA had been caring for the six orangutans in West Kalimantan at various points between 2012 and 2020.
The release of the orangutans is a vital step in efforts to preserve protected wildlife and the restoration of orangutan populations in the wild and is a culmination of the process to reintroduce the animals to their natural habitat.
RM Wiwied Widodo, Head of the West Kalimantan BKSDA, said: "The aim is to return orangutans to their natural habitat in good condition - in good health and with the characteristics and behaviour of wild orangutans. Returning an animal to this condition is a long process and certainly isn't easy.
"Human beings should not keep orangutans imprisoned in cages. It is done entirely out of selfishness. They must be allowed to live freely to maintain the balance in nature."