Rescuers are racing to save orangutans from smoke as Borneo's wildfires spread
El Nino-driven fires have burned tens of thousands of hectares in Indonesian Borneo this year, forcing rescuers to save orangutans suffering smoke exposure as their forest habitat disappears.
Rescuers in Indonesian Borneo have saved seven Bornean orangutans through August as El Nino-driven wildfires burn through the island's forests, according to the International Animal Rescue Indonesia Foundation, known as YIARI. One rescued orangutan, named Sampurna, later died from smoke exposure.
"Exposure to smoke can also cause serious health problems, so any report of an animal in a weak or abnormal condition requires immediate attention," said Argitoe Ranting, YIARI's operational lead. Veterinarian Komara said severe smoke exposure can cause orangutans to experience respiratory distress and hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the body's tissues.
In West Kalimantan province alone, fires have burned 28,680 hectares through Aug. 9, more than half the total burned across six provinces, with 17,236 hotspots detected between January and late July. Indra Syahnanda of the environmental group Walhi West Kalimantan said protected peatlands, which burn easily once drained, "were converted into cultivated peatland and given to concessions." An estimated 100,000 Bornean orangutans remain in the wild, a population the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says has declined by an estimated 86% since 1950; because females typically reproduce only once every seven to eight years, the species recovers slowly from losses.
Based on reporting by Rendy Tisna for Mongabay, via Eco-Business. Read the original: https://www.eco-business.com/news/rescuers-race-to-protect-orangutans-from-el-nino-fires-in-borneo/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
