I’ve got a real soft spot for orangutans because they’re orange and hairy and thus look kind of like me. The Bornean orangutans, one of two orangutan species, calls Borneo, an island off the coast of Indonesia, home. They’re endangered, which makes a story like this all the more sad: a group of residents of the village of Lower Wajok, Pontianak, accidentally set an orangutan on fire while trying to chase it out of a coconut tree.According to International Animal Rescue, the group found the male orangutan on some farmland, and wanted to chase it off without harm. I have no idea if this is standard operating procedure, but the idea they came up with was to set the tree it was chilling in on fire in the hopes that the guy would just jump into another tree or something. The orangutan wasn’t able to escape, and apparently caught fire.The villagers called a local forestry service, who in turn called IAR, who sedated the animal and brought it in for treatment. Thankfully (possibly do to that shaggy hair) the animal only suffered first degree burns, but was still in pretty rough shape due to dehydration. IAR said it’s unsure how much rehabilitation the orangutan may need but thankfully, he should be just fine. Update: I think I misread a translated report that suggested the orangutan would survive. It apparently was in very critical condition, and has subsequently died.Local news outlet MetroTV News caught footage of the orangutan on fire. Let me warn you, this is gnarly:Follow Derek Mead on Twitter: @derektmead.
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