El Niño Fires Devastate Orangutan Habitats in Indonesia

A global climate event has caused severe fires across the Indonesian rainforests, the homeland of the orangutan. The long-term impact on these animals remains unknown. Rescuers found a mother orangutan and her eight-month-old baby in an oil palm estate. The mother's hands were peeling from walking on scorched ground. Her baby, clinging to her side, was thin and dehydrated. The pair were named Mama Abu and Abu, which means "ash" in Indonesian. The two were saved last month from wildfires that are destroying Indonesia's forests and peatlands. The fires have created thick smog and are eliminating the habitat of some of the world's most vulnerable species.