Rescued: The Baby Orangutan That 'Tried To Die'

Rescuers in Borneo have released video of a traumatised baby orangutan that nearly died from neglect after being stolen from its mother.

Vets believe the orangutan's mother was almost certainly killed before her baby was snatched from her arms before it was sold as a pet and kept in a cage suited for keeping chickens.

Upon arrival at Borneo's International Animal Rescue (IAR) centre the orangutan - who rescuers have named Udin - was found to be severely malnourished and psychologically detached from his surroundings.

The touching video shows vets at the centre cuddling, feeding and caring for Udin in an attempt to bring him back to life.

One of them said: "Udin tried to die several times, but we wouldn't let him. We just kept interacting with him and doing lots of physiotherapy so he could not ignore us and had to learn to trust us as his sole link to survival."

Although his condition has improved, Udin still requires constant care and intensive medical treatment.

Alan Knight, IAR Chief Executive, said: "The vets are doing everything they can to give Udin the best chance of survival.

"From the moment he was rescued, members of the team have stayed with him round-the-clock and still sleep on the floor beside him so that they can comfort and console him during the dark hours of the night.

"He clings constantly to a large fluffy teddy bear, just as he would have clung to his mother in the wild. By the time we rescued him his mind and body were shutting down.

"But our medical team refused to give up on him and slowly they are winning the battle to save him."

Udin was rescued along with two other young orangutans by Borneo police and IAR rescuers from villages near a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan.

The plantation is suspected of being responsible for the orangutan's plight, having left them with no shelter or protection from the hunters who caught them to sell as pets.

Karmele Llano Sanchez, Programme Director of IAR Indonesia, said: "Three orangutans rescued in the same small village next to an oil palm plantation that just carried out forest clearance - that's more than a coincidence.

"As the forest is wiped out, the orangutans are more vulnerable to hunters and the babies are then captured."