In the forests of West Kalimantan, a 32-year record of wild orangutan life — among the most complete portraits of any non-human primate ever assembled — stands within 20 days of being consumed by fire. El Niño has turned routine land-clearing burns into an uncontrollable force, driving flames through forests that should not burn toward Cabang Panti research station and the critically endangered apes it has long sheltered. What is at risk is not merely a building or a dataset, but the irreplaceable accumulation of patient human attention to another species — and the forest itself, without which
Indonesian wildfires threaten world's longest orangutan study as apes flee Borneo
Critically endangered Bornean orangutans are fleeing fires, with at least five individuals from the long-term study population observed escaping flames, threatening the survival of a population dependent on forest habitat.