Animal rescuers have staged a daring operation to tranquilise and trap an endangered orangutan in Indonesian Borneo and transport it to safety.

Deforestation on the southeast Asian island has meant the orangutan, named Abun, has started to lose his home in the Sungai Putri Forest.

This caused Abun to become aggressive, increasingly coming into contact with farmers and stealing their sugarcane and banana plants to survive.

Rescuers from International Animal Rescue (IAR) were forced to step in and save the orangutan before he hurt himself, or was attacked by villagers.

Video shows him being removed from the trees in Kalibaru, on the edge of the Sungai Putri Forest.

Approximately half of the population of orangutans have disappeared in this area predominately due to deforestation caused by palm oil production.

Organizations like IAR say orangutans here are under serious threat – many left without homes are either starved, killed or sold.

Video shows just one of the instances of IAR team relocating an orangutan. They must put the animal to sleep, before  transporting him to safety in a large metal cage filled with leaves.

The orangutan is struck in the behind with an anaesthetic dart. This will allow the animal to be relocated to a safer environment

The orangutan named Abun had become increasingly aggressive with farmers as his home around the Sungai Putri Forest had begun to disappear

Rescuers prepare a net to catch the orangutan after it has been shot with the anaesthetic dart

The orangutan is carefully held in the net. He will soon be transported to a safer area