Forest blaze kills three orangutans

JAKARTA: Three female orangutans, including a baby, were burnt to death in central Indonesia after being caught in a fire believed to have been started illegally to clear land for farming, an official and protection group said yesterday. The charred bodies of the endangered Bornean orangutans, believed to be a mother and her two daughters, were discovered among fire-blackened remains of trees, their limbs outstretched and grimaces of pain on their faces. They were found in Bontang, in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, close to Kutai National Park. Park officials began investigating after seeing pictures of the animals circulating on social media, said park staff member Dede Hidayat. Wildlife authorities and police are now investigating the case. No one has been arrested yet, but if convicted, a perpetrator could face up to five years in jail for breaking wildlife protection laws.