Orangutan rescues during a pandemic.

The Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit (HOCRU) teams have been quite restricted in their activities during the COVID-19 lockdown in Sumatra, as many of the villages in the areas they cover have been closed to visitors.

Despite this, they have evacuated six orangutans from danger and confiscated four infant orangutans from the illegal pet trade since March. Three of the evacuated orangutans were healthy enough to be released into safe forest areas immediately after rescue, while the others are still receiving treatment for injuries at the rehabilitation centre. The infant orangutans confiscated from the pet trade are all still too young to be released, so they will spend several years being rehabilitated before being released back into the wild.