Walking through flames: orangutans rescued in Indonesia fires

Orangutans suffer through flames in Indonesia as fire-ravaged lands trap them in the air. Novita, a young female, clings to a mostly leafless tree in Borneo while thick smoke wafts from the nearby wildfires. The ape, rescued by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, is receiving intensive care at a rehabilitation center in Palangkaraya.

Bara, a male orangutan, was also saved from the haze last Thursday. He was found on a tree on razed land, with minor burns. Local officials stated they were concerned about Bara's survival due to the severity of the burned lands. He will be moved to a nature reserve in Central Kalimantan.

Wildfires have endangered already vulnerable orangutans, prompting rescue efforts by local groups and authorities. Novita is still in intensive care with improving burns but may not fully recover. The orangutans are critically endangered, with only around 104,000 left in Borneo and Sumatra. The International Union for Conservation of Nature warned that fires have burned in habitats containing 52 percent of Borneo's orangutan population.

Indonesia regularly battles wildfires during the dry season, intensified by the El Nino weather phenomenon and other human activities. Over 202,000 hectares were burned between January and July, with nearly 896,000 hectares estimated burned by the end of August.