Orangutan blinded after being shot 74 times with an air gun in Indonesia; its baby dies of malnutrition

The animal was found on a farm in Aceh province last week with its month-old baby, which later died from critical malnutrition

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Medical workers operate on ‘Hope’ the orangutan, who was shot dozens of times with an air rifle. Photo: AP

Published: 11:57pm, 18 Mar 2019Updated: 1:08pm, 20 Mar 2019

An endangered orangutan with a young baby on Indonesia’s Sumatra island was blinded after being shot at least 74 times with an air gun, an official and veterinary surgeon said on Monday.

An X-ray showed at least 74 air gun pellets in its body, including four in its left eye and two in the right, said Yenny Saraswati, a veterinary surgeon with the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program.

An X-ray image of the air rifle pellets lodged inside 'Hope'. Photo: AP

She said the animal, named “Hope” by the team of rescuers, was blinded by the shooting and also had several open wounds believed to have been caused by sharp objects.

She said Hope underwent surgery on Sunday to repair a broken collarbone and was recovering.

Conflicts between orangutans and people have increased as the palm oil and paper industries shrink the animals’ jungle habitat.

Villagers spotted the severely wounded orangutan in a farm in Aceh province’s Subulussalam district last week with its month-old baby, which was suffering from critical malnutrition, said Sapto Aji Prabowo, who heads the Aceh provincial conservation agency.