Endangered orangutans rescued from Indonesian wildfires
A young orangutan with burned hands and feet is among more than 270 animals rescued as fires scorch nearly 900,000 hectares.
JAKARTA · Rescuers in Indonesia are evacuating endangered orangutans found injured and stranded by widespread wildfires on the island of Borneo. A young female orangutan named Novita was rescued after being discovered clinging to a nearly leafless tree in Central Kalimantan province, said Jamartin Sihite of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. She is among dozens of apes saved from fires on Borneo and Sumatra in recent months. The fires have intensified due to a prolonged dry season worsened by El Niño, hampering firefighting efforts due to water shortages.
Novita, estimated to be three to four years old, suffered burns on her hands and feet likely from crossing scorched ground. "The palms of her hands and the soles of her feet suffered burns that were likely sustained when Novita crossed a burned area while trying to reach a tree," Sihite told The Associated Press. After being tranquilized, she was given oxygen and intravenous fluids before being taken to a rehabilitation centre. Sihite said she will be evaluated for a potential return to the wild once her burns heal, noting that other injured orangutans have been successfully released.
Not all rescues have been successful. A 20-year-old male orangutan named Sampurna was found struggling to breathe on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan last month and died hours after being rescued, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry. The ministry said more than 270 wild animals in Kalimantan have been rescued, rehabilitated or guided to safer habitats. Government data shows over 202,000 hectares burned between January and July, while an independent monitoring project estimates nearly 896,000 hectares were scorched by the end of August.
The blazes have created a regional environmental and health crisis, with toxic haze drifting more than 800 kilometres to the Philippines. Authorities in Malaysia declared an emergency last week in Sarawak on the Malaysian part of Borneo. Japan has provided firefighting assistance to Indonesia to help combat the fires. Andi Muhammad Kadhafi, head of Central Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said the fires threaten both people and wildlife. "Wildfires do not only affect humans but can also threaten wildlife and their habitats," he said. Kadhafi emphasized that a coordinated approach is needed to address the ongoing disaster. "Fire prevention, habitat protection, monitoring and rapid response need to go hand in hand," he said. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation remains hopeful for Novita's recovery and potential release, citing past successes with other injured apes.
With files from Yahoo News, Toronto Star and CT Insider