Four days of extreme rain killed 7% of world's rarest orangutans, study says
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Extreme rain and landslides in Sumatra last November killed an estimated 58 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, about 7% of the total population of fewer than 800 individuals.
- The figure is conservative and does not account for indirect impacts such as canopy damage and reduced food availability, which further threaten the species' survival.
- The Tapanuli orangutan, discovered in 2017, is highly vulnerable, with studies indicating it could go extinct if it loses more than 1% of its population annually.
- Increased frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events in the region pose ongoing risks to the orangutans and their habitat.
- Conservationists observed a sharp decline in orangutan sightings after the storm, with some carcasses found amid landslide debris, highlighting the severe impact of such natural disasters on this already critically endangered species.