Orphaned baby orangutan clings to a teddy as one of man's closest relatives enters 2017 facing extinction
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Shivering and utterly traumatised, a tiny orangutan orphan clings to the teddy bear which has become a pitiful replacement for his slain mother.
Paijo, whose hand was sliced by the machete that killed his mum, is one of four great apes rescued by UK charity International Animal Rescue in the past month.
At just two months old, Paijo is the youngest orangutan to be taken in by the charity and the 106th now at their sanctuary in Indonesia.
Paijo is another victim of the palm oil trade, deforestation and mining which have taken orangutans to the brink of extinction.
The charity fears they could be extinct in just 20 years.
Spokeswoman Lis Key said: “The orangutans who come to us are traumatised beyond belief.
(Photo: HERIBERTUS)
“Most, like Paijo have a haunted stare, and the cuteness of them cuddling their teddies actually belies a grim and terrible reality.
“A mother orangutan will never leave her baby unless they are parted through death.
“So every one of our orphans, with the surrogate teddy bears they cling to, has witnessed the slaughter of their mothers at the hands of man. These apes need more help than ever if they are to survive.”
Since the start of December, the charity has rescued four orangutans and released a further two back into safe havens.
Paijo is the youngest they have ever taken in and brings the total in the rescue centre to 106 – the most they have ever helped at one time.
Lis said: “Never more so have orangutans faced a more uncertain future, as 2017 starts, they really are a species facing the prospect of extinction, and we’re doing everything we can to save them.”
(Photo: HERIBERTUS)
Paijo was rescued after a local man in Randau Jekak Village in Sandai District, Indonesia, was handed him by a villager. He then rang IAR’s orangutan hotline. They collected him and took him on the six-hour journey to their shelter in Ketapang.
Lis said: “He’s so terribly vulnerable it’s touch and go. As well as warmth and food the main source of comfort he is given is his own teddy bear.
“The teddy becomes almost a surrogate mother as it means they have something warm and furry to cling to.
“So while it may look cute, actually it is a symbol of tragedy. Our aim over the next five to seven years will be to teach him the skills of the forest so one day he can be released back into the wild.”
One of the biggest threats to the orangutan’s rainforest habitat is the non-sustainable palm oil industry. The oil is found in dozens of products from make-up to crisps.
Lis said: “We need to put pressure on companies to change to sustainable alternatives. Orangutans will only survive when people start to take the problem seriously. I just hope it won’t be too late by then.”
(Photo: Getty)
Paijo and the other orangutans at the rescue centre are Bornean. There are about 50,000 left, but are classified as Critically Endangered because numbers are dropping so rapidly, reduced by half in 60 years.
More than 2.4 million acres of Indonesian rainforest is cleared each year and Paijo is just one of the recent victims.
The charity also saved an orangutan found with a rope around her neck. Lis said: “It’s likely her mother was killed when she was a baby so someone could keep her as a pet.”