There is something unfathomable in the eyes of an orangutan. A quiet depth, as if holding the secrets of the forest, and at the same time, carrying wounds too heavy to put into words. But when those eyes can no longer see, the story becomes even louder. That is the story of Leuser, a Sumatran orangutan who now lives on a man-made island called Orangutan Haven in North Sumatra.
His name comes from the Leuser Ecosystem, a vast stretch of wilderness that remains one of the last refuges for thousands of species. Spanning 2.6 million hectares across Aceh and North Sumatra, it is home to tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans still clinging to survival. Yet tragically, while his name carries the weight of this life-filled land, Leuser's own story is one of pain.
A Wound That Changed Everything
Leuser was only five years old when hunters captured him in February 2004. Far too young to survive without his mother. Just like human children who need the embrace of their mothers, orangutan infants rely on their mothers for up to seven years. That embrace was stolen.
He was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center in Sibolangit, cared for, and later released into Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park in Jambi. For a moment, there was hope. Hope that he could live wild again, belong to the forest as he was meant to. But fate had other plans.
In November 2006, Leuser was found in a condition almost impossible to believe. His body was torn apart. His right leg had a deep gash forty centimeters long. His body carried sixty-two air rifle pellets. His head was bruised from blunt force. Some bullets pierced his lungs, and worst of all, fragments left him permanently blind.
Imagine an animal whose entire life depends on sight, climbing trees, finding fruit, spotting predators suddenly thrown into darkness. Since that moment, Leuser's world has been without light.
Because of his blindness, he could never return to the forest. Instead, he was brought to Orangutan Haven, a sanctuary built for orangutans who cannot be released back into the wild. There, he does not live behind bars, but on an island where he can climb, forage, and build nests among the trees.
To those who care for him, Leuser is more than just an orangutan. He is a living ambassador, a reminder to humanity. He cannot see, but his story has opened countless eyes. Day after day, he moves with a spirit that refuses to give up. He climbs, he builds nests, he moves as if to prove that blindness is not the end. At a glance, one might never guess that this strong being lives in darkness.
The Wounds That Repeat Themselves
Leuser is not the only victim. In 2019, a female orangutan named Hope was rescued with her baby in Subulussalam, Aceh. Her body carried seventy-four pellets. Her eyes were destroyed, her hands slashed. She was left completely blind. Her baby did not survive.
Another, a male named Paguh, was found with twenty-four bullets lodged in his body, fourteen in his head. He lived for two years in Orangutan Haven before he, too, died.
And in 2020, yet another male orangutan in South Aceh was found with one hundred thirty eight bullets in his body. Forty had pierced his head. He survived only a few days before succumbing to his wounds.
Bullets are not the only threat. Habitat loss is an even greater one. In 2024 alone, Aceh lost 10,610 hectares of forest, including 5,699 hectares inside the Leuser Ecosystem itself.
South Aceh accounted for the largest loss, followed by East Aceh and Subulussalam. Even Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, one of the last strongholds for orangutans, lost 425 hectares in just one year. Since 2020, over 2,100 hectares of forest have vanished from this vital sanctuary.
