Smuggled orangutans return to Indonesia

Believed to be between the ages of four to six the orangutans, Ung Aing and Natalee, spent three years at Khao Pratab Chang Wildlife Breeding Center in central Ratchaburi province, Thailand.

On Friday they arrived in western Indonesia's Jambi province for medical checks, which will include COVID-19 swabs, before a rehabilitation process to prepare them for their jungle home.

Video footage showed the female orangutans eagerly climbed out of their carriers and into a temporary holding facility.

It is unclear how long the pair will stay in the orangutan sanctuary before being released into the wild.

Orangutans are poached illegally for food, breeding to supply the domestic and international pet trade, and for traditional medicine.