Watch: Heartwarming moment an orangutan is freed after spending TWO YEARS inside a wooden box

This is the heartwarming moment an orangutan tasted freedom after spending two years living inside a cramped wooden box.

Kotap was rescued by a team made of International Animal Rescue (IAR) and local officials as a remote village in West Kalimantan, Borneo.

The four-year-old had spent half of his entire life inside the box, that measured just 10 square feet, with only a straw and an empty plastic bottle for company.

Locked up inside for two years, Kotap was understandably frightened of freedom, initially cowering at the back of his makeshift home despite efforts to coax him out.

However, he eventually left his cramped prison and was taken away to receive specialist care and treatment for his ordeal.

IAR vet Uwi revealed: “Kotap was very stressed by all the strangers who gathered to see him when he was taken out of the box.

MORE: Paralysed golden retriever is finally able to go on walks after being fitted with prosthetic paws
MORE: Watch: Lib Dem leader Tim Farron accosted by furious Brexit voter on campaign trail

“He became nervous and aggressive which is not surprising.

“So during the long journey back to the centre we kept people away from him so that he remained as quiet and calm as possible.”

Kotap – who lived on a diet of bread, rice and instant noodles – was being held by a man named Baco, who claimed to have been given the animal by people in a nearby village after spotting him in a cardboard box.

Baco took Kotap home to look after him but kept him in a cage at the front of his house in case he disturbed the neighbours.

After pressure from conservation agency BKSDA to act in the best interests of the animal, Baco eventually agreed to give Kotap up.

Alan Knight, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue, said: “This poor orangutan had been kept alone in the dark for two long years – half his entire life. He was deprived of everything an orangutan needs to survive in the wild.

“At four years old, he should still be with his mother, learning from her how to climb and move through the forest, what foods to eat and what to avoid, and how to build a nest in the trees to sleep in each night.

“Instead, Kotap lived a sad and solitary existence, unable to exercise or express any of the natural behaviours of a wild orangutan.

“He was fed an unsuitable diet that could have made him seriously ill and would surely eventually have been driven mad with boredom and frustration.”

Karmele Llano Sanchez, Programme Director for IAR Indonesia, added: “It’s high time people realised that, if they keep breaking the law by capturing orangutans and keeping or selling them as pets, then the species will soon become extinct.”

The IAR will now work on rehabilitating Kotap before he is introduced back into the forest.

Top pic: International Animal Rescue