Deadly wildfires leave Borneo wildlife scrambling for fresh water

Wildfires in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, have dried forest pools and turned village ponds brackish, pushing dehydrated wildlife toward homes and the coast. Yayasan Planet Indonesia recorded at least 16 dead animals, including endangered proboscis monkeys, in two months this fire season, more than the group logged in nearly six years of prior patrols in the same area.

The rescue group YIARI has pulled 43 orangutans from fire-affected areas since August, many burned, dehydrated or malnourished, a surge the group says it hasn't seen since the 2015 El Niño fires. Nearly 900,000 hectares have burned nationwide since January, and saltwater intrusion has already forced Pontianak's water utility to truck in freshwater from outside the city.

Conservationists say the crisis was foreseeable months in advance given forecasted El Niño conditions, and argue companies and authorities should have prepared accordingly. Village teams have since set up makeshift water stations patrolled against hunters drawn by the same thirsty, concentrated wildlife.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.