Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian wildlife rangers are trying to rescue scores of displaced orangutans, gibbons and macaques believed to be roaming through oil palm plantations on Borneo island after the illegal destruction of their jungle habitats.

The endangered primates face starvation or capture by poachers after being squeezed out of a 200 hectares rainforest area cleared in May to create space for new plantations, said Stephen Gibin Sira, a wildlife officer in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state. "We are working hard to save each of them," Sira said.

Nine orangutans have been found by rangers in the past two weeks and sent to a wildlife sanctuary in Sabah state, where they appear to be adapting well to their new environment, Sira said.
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