Wildfires sweeping across Indonesia’s Borneo island have left endangered orangutans struggling to survive 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.
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. 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.
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