A baby orangutan has been freed after more than a year locked up inside a cramped wooden cage.
The 15-month-old animal, named Muaro, was first discovered in an area cleared for a palm oil plantation and was being kept locked up in a village in West Borneo's Sungai Raya District.
His 'owner', Anwar, had taken him home after feeling 'sorry for him' and put the young primate on a diet of condensed milk and human food.
When experts from International Animal Rescue (IAR) arrived in Muara Baru village, Muaro, who was in a wooden cage measuring 5ftx5ftx6.5ft, did not seem to be in a bad condition. But, a more thorough medical examination revealed that he was suffering from a skin disease and respiratory problems.
IAR experts gave the animal rehydration fluids and food ahead of his long journey to a new home at a conservation centre in Ketapang, West Borneo.
Locked up: A baby orangutan has been freed after more than a year kept locked up inside a cramped wooden cage in West Borneo
The 15-month-old animal, named Muaro, was first discovered in an area cleared for a palm oil plantation and was being kept locked up in a village in West Borneo's Sungai Raya District. He is pictured in the arms of one of his rescuers
Captive: The young primate, called Muaro, had been locked up and was being fed a diet of condensed milk and human food
When experts from International Animal Rescue arrived in Muara Baru village, Muaro was in a wooden cage measuring 5ftx5ftx6.5ft
The journey back to IAR's centre involved a three hour drive from Muara Baru village to Pontianak and then a further 12 hours from Pontianak to Ketapang by ferry and then by road.
The team broke the long journey by staying overnight at a partner agency's offices where they picked up a slow loris that had been handed over to the local forestry department by a university student.
On arrival at IAR's centre, Muaro was settled into the quarantine quarters that will be his home for several weeks while he undergoes a series of medical tests to assess his mental and physical condition and check that he is free from contagious diseases.
IAR experts gave the animal rehydration fluids and food ahead of his journey to a new home at a conservation centre in Ketapang, West Borneo
Rescuers say the young animal's mother was 'almost certainly killed for him to be all alone in the devastated forest'. He has since been moved to a new home
Alan Knight OBE, CEO of International Animal Rescue, said that Muaro is 'yet another victim of the terrible impact of the palm oil industry'
The tiny animal is now in safe hands after being freed from a wooden crate after being kept locked up for more than a year
Workers came across Muaro while an area of land in West Bornwo was being cleared away to make way for a palm oil plantation
The journey back to IAR's centre involved a three hour drive from Muara Baru village to Pontianak and then a further 12 hours from Pontianak to Ketapang by ferry and then by road
Alan Knight OBE, CEO of International Animal Rescue, said: 'Muaro is yet another victim of the terrible impact of the palm oil industry.
'His mother was almost certainly killed for him to be all alone in the devastated forest. Happily he is in safe hands now.
'Once he is out of quarantine, he will join more than 100 other orangutans undergoing rehabilitation at our centre and begin his long journey back to freedom.'
Once he is out of quarantine, he will join more than 100 other orangutans undergoing rehabilitation at a rescue centre and begin his long journey back to freedom
A recent report by a team of international conservationists has revealed that there has been a dramatic decline in the Bornean orangutan population and 150,000 of the primates have been lost in the last 16 years
Muaro is pictured being transported from the West Borneo village to a new home at a rescue centre in Ketapang
A recent report by a team of international conservationists has revealed that there has been a dramatic decline in the Bornean orangutan population and 150,000 of the primates have been lost in the last 16 years.
'Every individual counts in our efforts to save this Critically Endangered species from extinction,' Knight added.
'The lives of Muaro and all the other rescued orangutans in our centre are so precious if orangutan populations are to be preserved for future generations.'
Village children watch on as rescuers arrive at the scene to free little Muaro from the wooden cage it has called home for more than a year
Local officials joined International Animal Rescue workers as they freed the 15-month-old orangutan in West Borneo
The baby orangutan was carried away in a metal transportation cage ahead of a long journey to its new home at a sanctuary
Local children follow rescuers as they carry the animal away from the village in Sungai Raya District, Kubu Raya Regency
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