Climate Crisis Kills 7% of World’s Rarest Orangutans in Just Four Days of Rain
A single extreme weather event—four days of torrential rain—killed 7% of the world’s rarest orangutan population, a new study reveals.
Scientists have confirmed that the climate crisis is directly driving the deaths of critically endangered species. In November 2025, more than 1,000 millimeters (39 inches) of rain fell over four days in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, triggering landslides and extreme flooding [169960][171094]. The disaster killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans (*Pongo tapanuliensis*), wiping out 11% of the local population and 7% of the entire species, which numbers only around 800 individuals [169960].
The Tapanuli orangutan is now the world’s rarest great ape, and researchers warn that such sudden weather events, intensified by climate change, pose a direct and immediate threat to its survival [169960][171094]. The study highlights that climate change is not a distant future risk but a present-day killer, pushing these primates closer to extinction [171094].
Meanwhile, a new UNICEF report reveals that half of the world’s children—over one billion—now face at least three overlapping climate threats such as heatwaves, storms, floods, and droughts simultaneously [174499]. The strongest El Niño in over a century is also expected this year, bringing drought, flooding, and extreme heat that could disrupt agriculture, strain water supplies, and threaten public safety [174423].