Indonesia: Baby orangutan saved from Borneo wildfires as habitat destruction escalates

A young orangutan has been rescued from wildfires in Borneo. Named Novita, the three- to four-year-old female was found clinging to a tree in Central Kalimantan on 26 September, with burns to her hands and feet after crossing the flames.

Rescuers from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation tranquilised her and gave her oxygen and intravenous fluids before taking her to the Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation centre in Palangkaraya.

On Thursday, officials said her burns were improving, but warned she might not make a full recovery.

Novita is among dozens of orangutans rescued from fires across Sumatra and Borneo in recent months. The fires have intensified during Indonesia's dry season amid drought linked to El Niño. Government figures put the area burned between January and July at more than 202,000 hectares; satellite monitoring by Nusantara Atlas estimated nearly 896,000 hectares had burned by the end of August.

The fires are destroying habitat and worsening regional haze. Smoke has also caused respiratory symptoms among orangutans at the BOS Foundation's care facility in Central Kalimantan.