Wildfire came within metres of rescued orangutans; 60 animals moved

Fi efighte s
ca y
thei
equipme t
as
they
attempt
to
exti guish
a
wildfi e
o
a
peatla d
field
i
Palemba g,
South
Sumat a,
I do esia,
Tuesday,
Aug.
11,
2026.
(AP
Photo/Muhammad
Hatta)

O a guta s
escued
f om
wildlife
t afficke s
face
a
ew
th eat
f om
the
eco d
umbe
of
fi es
that
have
b oke
out
i
I do esia
i
ece t
weeks.
Acco di g
to
a
epo t
by
The
Gua dia ,
flames
have
come
withi
met es
of
a
a imal
ehabilitatio
ce t e
i
West
Kalima ta
as
hot,
d y
a d
wi dy
co ditio s
have
bee
amplified
by
a
powe ful
El
Niño
a d
the
huma -d ive
climate
c isis.
I
the
fi st
13
days
of
August,
I do esia
egiste ed
mo e
tha
th ee
times
mo e
fo est
fi e
hotspots
tha
i
the
whole
of
the
same
mo th
last
yea .
This
followed
a
eco d
umbe
of
blazes
betwee
Ja ua y
a d
July.
West
Kalima ta
has
bee
at
the
epice t e.
Afte
40
days
without
ai ,
the e
have
bee
doze s
of
seve e
outb eaks
of
fi e
i
the
egio .A
ace
agai st
the
flamesFlames
th eate ed
the
Yia i
o a guta
ehabilitatio
ce t e
this
week.
The
fi e
moved
apidly
f om
1km
away
to
withi
100
met es
of
the
pe imete
withi
days,
p ompti g
staff
to
elocate
the
60
eside t
o a guta s
to
e closu es
i
the
middle
of
the
ce t e.I do esia
autho ities
have
wate -bombed
the
fo est
to
t y
to
co t ol
the
blaze,
a d
teams
f om
the
ce t e
joi ed
the
fi efighti g
effo ts
as
the
ai
quality
wo se ed,
posi g
a
th eat
to
a imals
a d
the
wide
ecosystem.The
ce t e’s
di ecto ,
D
Ka mele
Lla o
Sá chez,
said
i
he
latest
update
that
battli g
the
fi e
had
bee
ele tless.

“We
we e
fighti g
it
u til
3am,
but
this
mo i g
it
has
eig ited.
The
teams
a e
wo ki g
ou d
the
clock
but
they
a e
exhausted.”The
situatio
had
epo tedly
stabilised
as
of
Thu sday
eve i g,
with
all
the
a imals
safe,
but
the
meteo ological
age cy
has
said
the
hot,
d y
co ditio s
a e
likely
to
co ti ue
a d
could
lead
to
mo e
outb eaks.I do esia
autho ities
have
u ged
people
to
avoid
setti g
fi es
a d
to
emai
vigila t
because
the
peak
of
the
fi e
seaso
is
usually
i
Septembe
a d
Octobe .A
g owi g
th eatYia i
is
seeki g
fu ds
fo
mo e
fi efighti g
equipme t.
It
wa ed
of
the
g owi g
th eat
ea lie
this
yea
afte
a
fi e
sta ted
fo
la d
clea i g
sp ead
i to
o e
of
its
ecosystem
esto atio
sites.The
fi es
a e
ot
just
a
th eat
to
the
o a guta s
i
captivity.
They
also
e da ge
the
wild
populatio s
that
the
ce t e
is
wo ki g
to
p otect
a d
ei t oduce.
Bo ea
o a guta s
a e
c itically
e da ge ed,
with
habitat
loss
a d
the
illegal
wildlife
t ade
al eady
pushi g
them
towa ds
exti ctio .
The
added
p essu e
of
wildfi es
could
u do
yea s
of
co se vatio
wo k.Huma
costThe
fi es
a e
impacti g
local
commu ities,
too.
Smoke
f om
the
fi es
has
bla keted
the
egio
causi g
espi ato y
p oblems
a d
dis upti g
daily
life.
Schools
have
bee
closed,
a d
flights
have
bee
ca celled
due
to
poo
visibility.Fo
the
staff
at
the
Yia i
ce t e,
the
fi es
a e
a
pe so al
as
well
as
p ofessio al
c isis.
Ma y
of
them
live
i
the
su ou di g
villages
a d
have
family
membe s
affected
by
the
smoke
a d
the
dest uctio
of
fa mla d.A
call
to
actio Co se vatio ists
wa t
to
see
u ge t
actio
to
tackle
the
oot
causes
of
the
fi es,
as
pe
the
epo t.
These
i clude
la d
clea a ce
fo
ag icultu e,
mai ly
pa ticula ly
fo
palm
oil
a d
pulpwood
pla tatio s;
a d
the
impact
of
climate
cha ge,
which
is
maki g
the
egio
hotte
a d
d ie .They
wa t
the
I do esia
gove me t
to
do
mo e
to
e fo ce
existi g
laws
agai st
illegal
la d
clea i g.
They
also
wa t
thei
gove me t
to
i vest
i
fi e
p eve tio
a d
fighti g.Fo
ow,
the
staff
at
the
Yia i
ce t e
a e
doi g
eve ythi g
they
ca
to
p otect
the
o a guta s
i
thei
ca e.
But
they
k ow
that
without
b oade
actio ,
the
th eat
will
o ly
g ow.As
D
Sá chez
said,
as
pe
the
epo t,
“We
a e
fighti g
ot
just
fo
these
60
o a guta s,
but
fo
the
futu e
of
thei
species.
Eve y
fi e
that
bu s
is
a
step
close
to
exti ctio .”

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