Rescued from a Maharashtra apartment, a young orangutan returns to Indonesia

A young orangutan rescued from an apartment in Maharashtra returned to Indonesia on October 19. The animal arrived at Kualanamu Airport in Medan after travelling from Gujarat, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta confirmed.

The orangutan will enter quarantine and then rehabilitation in North Sumatra, according to The Indian Express. It has not been released into the wild.

Indian and Indonesian wildlife authorities coordinated the repatriation under CITES, the international agreement governing trade in protected wildlife. Officials from India’s consulate in Medan attended the airport reception organised by Indonesia’s forestry ministry. India also waived the costs of the animal’s care before its return, the embassy said.

The orangutan was rescued in Dombivli in November 2024 and was subsequently cared for in Nagpur and Gujarat. Mongabay-India reported that health concerns and procedural requirements had prolonged the return process.

Mongabay spoke to the team associated with the Sumatra Rescue Alliance, where the animal is headed. After quarantine, the plan is for the young ape to attend a forest school and develop skills needed for life outside captivity, including finding food, climbing and building nests.

“If all goes to plan, he can be released in the wild in about four years,” conservation adviser Sinan Serhadli told Mongabay-India. That is a conditional rehabilitation goal, rather than a guaranteed release date.

Five other young orangutans rescued in Odisha remain at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar. Their possible return is a separate process, dependent on confirmation of their species and origins and the necessary approvals. The embassy said it is facilitating a visit by Indonesian wildlife experts in November.