Arizona Tribune - Conservation teams rescue orangutans from Indonesian wildfires

Rescue teams have moved dozens of critically endangered orangutans away from wildfires in Indonesia as smoke and drought conditions affect large parts of the region.

Dozens of critically endangered orangutans have been rescued in recent weeks from wildfires raging across Indonesia that have shrouded the region in toxic haze, conservation groups stated. The fires have caused months of pollution that have closed schools, fueled a rise in respiratory illness among both people and animals, and restricted outdoor activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor.

Pollution levels again ranged from unhealthy to very unhealthy across the region on Sunday. Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir again ranked Singapore and Kuala Lumpur among the world’s 10 most polluted major cities. Fires on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, made worse by a strong El Nino weather pattern, continued to send out smoke.

On Saturday, the West Kalimantan conservation agency and Indonesian non-profit YIARI stated a team had evacuated 51 orangutans from sites in the province since Aug 6. Figures from Indonesia’s forestry ministry this week suggested the number rescued across Kalimantan in recent months could be as high as 96. Officials could not immediately be reached to clarify the figure.

Also on Saturday, three conservation agencies rescued a 20-year-old male orangutan in Hampangen village in Central Kalimantan, on Borneo. “The evacuation process was carried out with great caution,” the agencies stated. “After the orangutan was sedated, the medical team immediately conducted a health examination” before taking the animal to a rehabilitation center.

Indonesia’s transport ministry stated around 2,400 flights across the country have been affected by the haze since mid-August. “Haze reduces visibility around airports, which can lead to delays, disruptions, and even flight cancellations,” it stated.

In Singapore, concentrations of the fine particulate pollutant PM2.5 remained high in western areas on Sunday. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stayed in the “very unhealthy” range.

Wang Jingyu, a Singapore-based atmospheric sciences expert, stated the region was firmly in the grip of a “super El Nino”. “Under these conditions, cooler sea surface temperature means we do not have enough evaporation from the ocean,” he told AFP. That means too little rain.

“We do not have enough rain, the fire cannot be easily put out.”

Ch.Campbell--AT