This is the heart-warming moment an orangutan who lost an arm after it became trapped in a snare for ten days is released back into the wild.
The young male named Pelansi had tried to gnaw his own hand off after the limb become ensnared by the hunter’s trap.
Luckily a rescue team found him in time to save his life – but the hand and part of his right arm had to be amputated.
Road to recovery: Male orangutan Pelansi had to have his hand and part his arm amputated after it became trapped in a hunter’s snare
Fear: Animal medics were worried Pelansi wouldn’t pull through when he was first found as his condition was so severe
Complex: Animal medics had to perform difficult surgery to remove Pelansi’s hand and arm which could not be saved
Horrifying: Pelansi had tried to gnaw his own hand off in a desperate attempt to be free from the snare
Following months of treatment and rehabilitation he is now fully recovered and is back where he belongs in the forests of West Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo.
The International Animal Rescue team found Pelansi severely dehydrated and barely clinging to life near a palm plantation in April.
His trapped hand had become necrotic and he had injured his elbow in his desperate attempts to free himself from the trap.
Emergency: Medics from International Animal Rescue battle to save Pelansi who was severely dehydrated after being trapped by the snare for around ten days
Desperate: Pelansi’s future had looked bleak when he was first found by the International Animal Rescue Team
Back in the swing of it: Pelansi is expected to live a normal life after having his hand and part of his right arm amputated
Under threat: Campaigners say Pelansi’s story is a telling example of how orangutans are being threatened by the palm oil industry in Borneo
In the first few days, animal medics were worried he wouldn’t pull through.
But after complex surgery to amputate his hand, Pelansi has battled back and vets think he should be able to lead a normal life.
Campaigners say the incident highlights how palm oil production is killing off the habitat of the orangutan by clearing forest in order to make more room to grow the crop.
According to International Animal Rescue, the land where Pelansi was found is home to a large number of orangutans that have fled from a new palm oil plantation.
Palm oil is a widely used in cosmetics and processed food.
Alan Knight, from International Animal Rescue, said : ‘We have all been eagerly awaiting the day of Pelansi’s release.
‘When endangered species like the orangutan are in crisis, every single individual counts.
‘Pelansi’s story is cause for celebration, not only because his life has been saved, but also because his reintroduction into the wild is a small but symbolic step in support of orangutan conservation.’
Desperate: Pelansi has had months of intensive treatment and rehabilitation after surgery to amputate his hand and arm
Delighted: The International Animal Rescue team said they were pleased that they were able to release Pelansi back into the wild
The team: The rescuers who found Pelansi and saved his life in the forests of Borneo
Happy: Pelansi is said to have fully recovered after the trauma of losing his arm