Wildfires threaten Indonesia's orangutans as rescuers find injured animals

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Wildfires sweeping across parts of Indonesia’s Borneo island have left endangered orangutans struggling to survive, prompting rescuers to evacuate animals found injured, stranded and surrounded by thick haze.

A female Bornean orangutan nicknamed Novita was among dozens of apes rescued from wildfires in parts of Sumatra and Borneo in recent months. She was found clinging to a nearly leafless tree as dense smoke billowed across the scorched landscape in the Katune forest in Central Kalimantan province, said Jamartin Sihite, the chairman of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

“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 in an interview. He said that Novita, estimated to be 3 to 4 years old, was tranquilized, given oxygen and intravenous fluids and taken to the rehabilitation center in Nyaru Menteng.

Once her burns have healed, Novita will be evaluated to see if she can climb and survive in her natural environment, Sihite said. “We have previously released orangutans missing several fingers and they were still able to survive in the forest, so we remain hopeful that Novita can eventually return to the wild.”

Forest and land fires in Indonesia have worsened this year as El Niño intensifies a prolonged dry season, not only in the Indonesian part of Borneo but also in some regions on Sumatra island. Water shortages in the areas have hampered firefighting, while Japan has provided firefighting assistance to the island.

A male orangutan named Sampurna, believed to be around 20 years old, was found struggling to breathe by residents early last month on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan’s Ketapang district, an area affected by wildfires. He died hours after being rescued, Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said.

It said more than 270 wild animals in Kalimantan had been rescued, rehabilitated or guided to safer habitats as of Saturday.

Government data showed more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of land burned between January and July. The independent Nusantara Atlas project, which monitors fires using satellite imagery, estimated that nearly 896,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) had burned by the end of August.

Toxic haze and smoke have caused a health crisis in neighboring countries as well. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away. In Malaysia, authorities declared an emergency last week in Sarawak on Malaysia’s part of Borneo.

Novita’s case highlights the impact of forest and peatland fires on wildlife as well as people, said Andi Muhammad Kadhafi, head of the Central Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency, a government body.

“Wildfires do not only affect humans but can also threaten wildlife and their habitats,” he said. “Fire prevention, habitat protection, monitoring and rapid response need to go hand in hand.”

____

Associated Press writers Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.