Four days of extreme rain killed 7% of world's rarest orangutans, study says
Climate change-induced weather events are pushing orangutan populations to extinction, says a study.
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Notable Quotes
"Cyclone Senyar had likely killed about 35 orangutans – a loss which he said would constitute 'a major blow to the population.'"
— Erik Meijaard , Academic
"That's (the mortality) way beyond these animals can withstand. So this is a huge event."
— Sergei Vich , Academic
"It is tragic to lose so many apes in this way. In landscapes where populations are small and fragmented, this type of weather or climate event can have population-level consequences. It is extremely worrying for the future of this ape."
— Prof Serge Wich , Academic
"The loss of an estimated 58 Tapanuli orangutans to a single climate-induced landslide event is a devastating demographic shock to the world’s rarest great ape."
— Prof Jatna Supriatna , Academic
"This level of loss is substantial for a species with such a small total population."
— Erik Meijaard , Academic
"We can minimize the poaching or hunting and then the number probably can be stabilized."
— Panut Hadisiswoyo , Academic
"This level of loss is substantial for a species with such a small total population."
— Erik Meijaard , Academic
"We can minimise the poaching or hunting and then the number probably can be stabilised."
— Panut Hadisiswoyo , Academic
"I have seen several dead bodies of humans in the past few days, but this was the first dead wildlife."
— Deckey Chandra , Academic
Key People
A conservation scientist familiar with the orangutan population in North Sumatra.
Managing director of Borneo Futures in Brunei and an author of the study.
Researcher advocating for conservation efforts for orangutans.
He is a conservation biologist at Universitas Indonesia.
He is a primatologist at Liverpool John Moores University.
Primatologist at the Liverpool John Moore University and one of the authors of the study.
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All Coverage
Climate change-induced weather events are pushing orangutan populations to extinction, says a study.
Floods and landslides in Indonesia's Sumatra last year killed at least 58 Tapanuli orangutans, accounting for 7% of the total population, according to a new report.
Severe rainfall in November 2025 on Indonesia’s Sumatra island killed an estimated 7% of the world’s rarest great ape species, the Tapanuli orangutan, according to a new study.
Deadly floods in Sumatra last year killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans, accounting for at least 7% of the total population, according to a report.
Floods and landslides in Indonesia's Sumatra last year killed at least 58 Tapanuli orangutans, representing 7% of the total population, according to a new report.
Extreme rainfall in Sumatra led to widespread landslides, resulting in the deaths of 58 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, nearly 7% of their global population.
Extreme weather events in North Sumatra have threatened the survival of the Tapanuli orangutan population, with 58 individuals out of 800 reported dead following four days of extreme rainfall in November 2025.
A four-day deluge in Indonesia killed off 7% of the entire species of endangered Tapanuli orangutans, with 58 of the 800 known apes living in the landslide-affected areas.
Extreme rainfall and landslides in Indonesia's North Sumatra province killed 58 out of the remaining 800 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, representing 7% of the entire species.
A devastating four-day rainfall event has killed approximately 7% of the world’s most endangered orangutan population, highlighting how climate change is accelerating the extinction crisis facing these critically important primates.
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