Indonesia's Wildfires Leave Orangutans Injured as Burned Area Grows

Wildfires across parts of Indonesia's Borneo island are putting endangered orangutans at risk, and rescuers have been pulling injured and stranded animals out of smoke-filled forest, the Associated Press reported. Dozens of apes have been saved from fires on Borneo and Sumatra in recent months, according to the AP report carried by ABC News.

The fires have also fed a wider haze problem. Smoke has caused a health crisis in neighboring countries, and Malaysia declared an emergency in Sarawak, its part of Borneo, last week, the AP said.

The key numbers behind the fires and the rescues

• More than 270: wild animals in Kalimantan that had been rescued, rehabilitated or guided to safer habitats as of Saturday, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.
• More than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres): land burned between January and July, according to government data.
• Nearly 896,000 hectares (2.2 million acres): land that had burned by the end of August, according to an estimate from the independent Nusantara Atlas project, which tracks fires using satellite imagery.
• More than 800 kilometers (500 miles): the distance smoke has drifted, reaching the Philippines.
• 3 to 4 years old: the estimated age of Novita, a female Bornean orangutan rescued from the Katune forest in Central Kalimantan province.

The two burned-area figures come from different sources and cover different periods, so they are not directly comparable.

Novita's rescue and an orangutan that did not survive

Jamartin Sihite, chairman of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, told the AP that Novita was found clinging to a nearly leafless tree while dense smoke covered the scorched landscape. Her palms and the soles of her feet were burned, likely when she crossed burned ground trying to reach a tree, he said.

Rescuers tranquilized her, gave her oxygen and intravenous fluids, and took her to the rehabilitation center in Nyaru Menteng. Once her burns heal, she will be evaluated to see whether she can climb and survive in the wild. Sihite said the foundation has released orangutans missing several fingers before, adding, “we remain hopeful that Novita can eventually return to the wild.”

Not every animal survived. A male orangutan named Sampurna, believed to be about 20 years old, was found struggling to breathe by residents early last month on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan's Ketapang district. He died hours after being rescued, the Forestry Ministry said.

What is behind the worsening fires

According to the AP, forest and land fires in Indonesia have grown worse this year as El Niño intensifies a prolonged dry season. The problem is not limited to Indonesian Borneo; some parts of Sumatra are also affected. Water shortages in the affected areas have made firefighting harder, and Japan has provided firefighting assistance to the island, the report said.

Why it matters beyond the rainforest

The fires are affecting both wildlife and people. Smoke that travels hundreds of miles has created health problems in several countries, and Malaysia's emergency declaration in Sarawak shows the haze is forcing government action outside Indonesia.

For orangutans, the risks are direct: burns, smoke and the loss of the trees they depend on. Andi Muhammad Kadhafi, head of the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said Novita's case shows that forest and peatland fires harm wildlife as well as humans. He said prevention, habitat protection, monitoring and quick response need to work together.

The rescue tally of more than 270 animals covers wild animals in Kalimantan generally, not only orangutans, and the sources do not break it down by species.

What happens next

Novita will stay at the Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center while her burns heal, and she will then be assessed for a possible return to the forest. The sources do not say when the dry season or the fires are expected to ease.

Source: ABC News