ORANGUTAN CRISIS: Indonesian Fires Threaten 'Local Extinction' of Species...

Fires raging across Indonesian Borneo are threatening 13 of the 20 largest populations of Bornean orangutans, with rescue teams having already pulled 53 of the apes from burning forests as of late September. The blazes—fueled by strong El Niño conditions—are particularly deadly because orangutans often stay within their established home ranges rather than flee, and mothers with offspring move too slowly to escape flames. A 1997-98 El Niño fire season killed an estimated third of the global orangutan population, making the current crisis a potential repeat of catastrophic losses unless Indonesia moves beyond emergency rescues to long-term habitat protection and fire prevention.