Jakarta. A joint rescue team evacuated two orangutans from a forest fire area in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, on Wednesday night, after an initial report of just one animal trapped in the burned landscape.

The operation, involving the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), the Indonesian Military (TNI), and Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), continued into the night following a report from soldiers patrolling the area to respond to forest and land fires.

BKSDA Sampit Post Commander Muriansyah said the first report came at around 11 a.m., when TNI personnel on patrol found an orangutan trapped in a recently burned area.

"We immediately went to the location with the TNI personnel and found the orangutan. We then reported the situation to our superiors in Pangkalan Bun," Muriansyah said.

Following instructions from the BKSDA leadership, a team from its Pangkalan Bun office and OFI personnel was deployed to the site. Once there, the team found that two, rather than one, orangutans were in the area.

Both animals were evacuated that night.

The team decided against postponing the rescue until the following morning, fearing the orangutans could move deeper into the burned forest and become difficult to locate.

"If we had waited until the next day, the orangutans might have moved before we arrived. Given the condition of the burned forest, it would have been extremely difficult to find them again," Muriansyah said.

OFI medical staff member Ichlasul Khaerul said initial examinations showed that both orangutans were in relatively good condition.

"After the evacuation, examination and observation, we found that the orangutans we rescued were still seemed in a good condition," Ichlasul said.

The animals remained active and responsive before the rescue, indicating that they were physically in relatively good shape, he added.

However, smoke from fires in the surrounding area had affected them, although the impact appeared to be limited.

"Several areas around the location have been affected by the fires, so the smoke has certainly had an effect on the orangutans. However, the impact does not appear to be severe and remains relatively mild," Ichlasul said.

He said the severity of smoke exposure can also be assessed from an orangutan's condition during the anesthesia process. Animals suffering more serious effects would typically appear weak, become less responsive, or remain lying in their nests.

The two orangutans are now under further observation by OFI's medical team as forest and land fires continue to burn at several locations in the area.

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