Orangutan Tries to Defend Its Home From Loggers in Heartbreaking Video

Video released by International Animal Rescue (IAR) from 2013 shows the heartbreaking moment when an orangutan tries to protect its home from loggers in Indonesia.

In the footage, which was recorded and shared on Facebook by the non-profit organization in the Ketapang Regency on the island of Borneo, the animal can be seen walking across a cut-down tree and fighting off an excavator.

The orangutan attempts to grab onto the front end of the excavator’s boom before it falls to the ground where a member of the Orangutan Protection Unit for the International Animal Rescue shoots a dart gun at the animal.

The orangutan is successfully captured and brought to safety, according to the Daily Mirror.

The organization has an has an orangutan rescue and rehabilitation center in Ketapang, West Borneo, home to more than 100 rescued orangutans.

“Despite all the obstacles thrown at them, our team were able to rescue this orangutan and bring him to safety,” IAR posted on Facebook in honor of World Environment Day.

“Unfortunately, scenes like this are becoming more and more frequent in Indonesia. Deforestation has caused the orangutan population to plummet; habitats are destroyed and orangutans are left to starve and die.”

Featured Image via Facebook / International Animal Rescue

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