‘The toll is huge’: El Niño-driven wildfires overwhelm Indonesia’s orangutan population

AI Summary

El Niño-related wildfires are burning forests and peatlands in Indonesia, damaging orangutan habitat and producing heavy smog. Rescuers have treated orangutans affected by the fires, including a dehydrated mother and infant, while the longer-term impact on the population remains uncertain.

The global climate phenomenon has triggered devastating infernos in the ape’s Indonesian heartlands, with long-term effects on the animals still unknown The mother’s hands were peeling from walking on the torched ground. Her eight-month-old baby, which clung to her side, was dehydrated and thin. The pair, named Mama Abu and Abu (“ash” in Indonesian), were found in an oil palm subsidiary estate, rescuers say. The orangutan pair were saved last month from wildfires that are devouring Indonesia’s forests and peatland, unleashing thick smog, and destroying the habitat of some of the planet’s most vulnerable species. Continue reading...