(Video: International Animal Rescue)

A heartbreaking footage shows an orangutan appearing to fight off a bulldozer pulling down trees in its natural habitat in Indonesia.

"This distressed primate is frantically seeking refuge from the destructive power of the bulldozer; a machine that has already decimated everything else around him", International Animal Rescue - an animal welfare organisation - wrote on Facebook.

Bornean orangutan populations have declined by more than 50% over the past 60 years, according to World Wildlife Fund. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over the past 20 years.

"Unfortunately, scenes like this are becoming more and more frequent in Indonesia. Deforestation has caused the orangutan population to plummet; habitats are destroyed and orangutans are left to starve and die," the organisation added.