El Niño is worsening wildfire conditions on Borneo, increasing pressure on orangutans. By the end of August, teams in Indonesia had rescued seven critically endangered animals from burned areas, according to Mongabay.
Smoke exposure later killed one of those rescued orangutans.
Here's what to know
Search efforts centered on smoke-choked, fire-scarred terrain in Ketapang district, West Kalimantan, where crews from Yayasan International Animal Rescue Indonesia and government conservation officials looked for orangutans stranded by the fires.
Mongabay reported that on Aug. 30, residents found a weak adult male later named Sampurna near an oil palm plantation. Komara, a veterinarian with YIARI, said the animal was taken to the group's rehabilitation center for treatment but died hours later after showing symptoms associated with smoke exposure, Mongabay reported.
A mother and infant later identified as Mama Yayuk and Yayuk were recovered Aug. 27 and subsequently released into Gunung Palung National Park. On Aug. 21, another mother and two offspring — Mama Yuni, Pura, and Yuni — were moved after wildfires cut them off from their habitat.
Bornean orangutans are critically endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated the wild population at a little more than 100,000, and conservationists have projected a steep decline driven by habitat loss, killing, and recurring fires, per Mongabay.
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More background
Fire risk is expected to stay high through October as El Niño strengthens, according to Indonesian meteorologists. In Indonesia, that weather pattern typically brings hotter, drier conditions that make forests and peatlands easier to ignite and harder to protect.
By Aug. 9, 28,680 hectares had burned in West Kalimantan. Mongabay reported that this represented over half of the total area burned across the six hardest-hit provinces.
Peat landscapes face a particularly acute threat. These waterlogged soils hold massive amounts of carbon, but once drained and dried, they can burn intensely. That puts orangutan habitat at risk and leaves nearby areas more vulnerable to prolonged fire and smoke.
What's being done?
YIARI and the provincial conservation agency, the BKSDA, acted on reports from residents to save the orangutans. Some animals were released into safer forest habitats with enough food.
"We follow up on every report from the public, whether that's directly or via the call center, about wild animals that need to be evacuated as quickly as possible," Murlan Dameria Pane, head of the BKSDA, said, according to Mongabay.
Local prevention efforts extend beyond rescue work. In 2022, women in Ketapang district partnered with YIARI to form an all-women firefighting group called the Power of Mama to help counter wildfire threats in the area.
"The impact of forest and land fires on wildlife doesn't always involve burns," Argitoe Ranting, operational lead at YIARI, told Mongabay. "Exposure to smoke can also cause serious health problems, so any report of an animal in a weak or abnormal condition requires immediate attention."
Where can I learn more?
In West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and beyond, habitat loss and intensifying heat are putting pressure on wildlife.
• In Borneo, villagers are being paid to spot orangutans, reshaping frontline conservation work.
• In Sumatra, storm-triggered landslides killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans.
• Globally, heat is weakening forests' ability to absorb carbon and resist fire.
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