Rescuers across Indonesia are racing to evacuate injured and stranded orangutans as intense wildfires sweep across parts of Borneo and Sumatra, filling forest habitats with dense smoke and leaving endangered wildlife struggling to survive.
In Central Kalimantan province, emergency teams recently rescued a young female Bornean orangutan nicknamed Novita from the Katune forest. Estimated to be 3 to 4 years old, Novita was spotted clinging to a nearly leafless tree while thick smoke billowed across the scorched ground around her. Jamartin Sihite, chairman of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, reported that the ape suffered burns to the palms of her hands and soles of her feet, likely sustained while trying to cross burned ground to reach a tree.
Following her rescue, Novita was tranquilized, administered oxygen and intravenous fluids, and transported to a rehabilitation center in Nyaru Menteng. Sihite stated that once her burns heal, specialists will evaluate her to see if she retains the ability to climb and survive in her natural environment. He expressed optimism regarding her potential recovery, noting that the foundation has previously released orangutans missing several fingers that successfully survived in the forest, giving team members hope that Novita can eventually return to the wild.
The ecological crisis has already proven fatal for other wildlife. Early last month, residents on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan's Ketapang district discovered an estimated 20-year-old male orangutan named Sampurna struggling to breathe amid wildfire smoke. Indonesia's Forestry Ministry confirmed that Sampurna died just hours after being rescued.
Data from the Forestry Ministry shows that as of Saturday, more than 270 wild animals across Kalimantan have been rescued, rehabilitated, or guided into safer habitats. The forest and land fires have escalated significantly this year as an intensifying El Niño pattern exacerbates a prolonged dry season across Indonesian Borneo and parts of Sumatra. Firefighting crews have faced severe challenges due to local water shortages, though Japan has provided firefighting assistance to the island.
Official and satellite data reveal vast areas of land destroyed by the fires. Government figures show that over 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) burned between January and July. Meanwhile, satellite tracking by the independent Nusantara Atlas project estimated that nearly 896,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) had been scorched by the end of August.
Beyond the destruction of forest ecosystems, toxic haze and smoke have triggered health emergencies across neighboring regions. Smoke from the fires has drifted more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) to reach the Philippines. In neighboring Malaysia, authorities declared an emergency last week in Sarawak, located on the Malaysian portion of Borneo.
Andi Muhammad Kadhafi, head of Central Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency, emphasized that Novita's situation underscores the severe impact of forest and peatland blazes on both animals and human populations. Kadhafi stressed that wildfires do not only affect humans but also threaten wildlife and their habitats, adding that fire prevention, habitat protection, monitoring, and rapid response must go hand in hand.
