Farmer saves baby monkey from forest fire and finds its mother

A baby Javan surili rescued from a burning tree in Indonesia’s Mount Ciremai National Park was reunited with its mother on 23 October 2026, after a local farmer made two attempts to find its family.

Darsa, a 51-year-old farmer known as Dodo, was fighting a forest fire with a community volunteer group when he heard an animal calling late the previous night. Investigating with a torch, he found the infant clinging weakly to a branch. The Javan surili is a protected monkey found only on Java.

Dodo carried it to a safe tent, where it received fluids and basic care. By morning, he said, its condition had improved and it was calling again.

His first search for the mother was unsuccessful, so he brought the infant back to shelter rather than leave it alone. Later that morning, after further firefighting work, he tried again, heading towards an unburned part of the forest.

About 300 metres from where the baby had been found, its calls drew a response. According to Dodo, the mother approached, collected her infant and returned to her group. Park head Toni Anwar also reported the reunion, saying around 15 surilis were present.

Dodo said he had been motivated both by the animal’s protected status and by a simple sense of responsibility towards another living creature.