Villagers at the remote Indonesian Lusan village recently received an unexpected visitor.
A Bornean Orangutan, which is a critically endangered species wandered into their village in search of food.
Yesterday a lost, weak and hungry orang utan entered a village in East Kalimantan. Residents tried to provide help, by providing food. https://t.co/HYJmEjypSu How often we need to witness this cruelty? End #deforestation. Restore orang utan habitats. They have nowhere else to go. pic.twitter.com/OpiLYkwN4H
— Aida Greenbury (@AidaGreenbury) June 9, 2021
Muhammad Irham, who is the Lusan village head, said his wife first noticed the animal going from tree to tree.
“She was afraid and closed all the doors and windows before running to alert other villagers,” he said.
He said all the other villagers soon came out to see the animal which was looking for food.
Soon, the villagers realised the animal was harmless and some even assisted it into the village.
The animal was then presented with a buffet of jackfruit, bananas and milk. After the meal, the Orangutan took a nap against a tree behind one of the houses.
The animal stayed on for another meal the next day, before heading back into the forest for a while.
It was back the next day for another buffet.
The East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Centre was then alerted of the animal and soon arrived and transported the Orangutan to a conservation center, where it will eventually be released into the forest.
The centre suspects that the adult male orangutan was previously released into the wild from a conservation program because a microchip was found in his body.
Videos of the friendly encounter has drawn sympathy from people online who called for better control of deforestation, which can result from palm oil plantations and mining.
