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Four days of rain slashed population of world's rarest orangutans, study says
Key takeaways
- Research suggests that 58 of less than 800 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, or around 7% of the total species, were killed as a result of the extreme weather event last November.
- Those are conservative figures, and do not take into account rain-induced canopy damage or reduced food availability, said the authors of the study published on Wednesday.
- Cyclone Senyar ravaged Sumatra in late November, killing more than 1,000 people in Southeast Asia's deadliest natural disaster for 2025.
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Gavin Butler Getty Images. The rare Tapanuli orangutan was only discovered in 2017 - but researchers fear it could be headed for extinction Four days of extreme rain and landslides in the Indonesian island of Sumatra have pushed the world's most endangered great apes even closer to extinction, says a study.
Research suggests that 58 of less than 800 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, or around 7% of the total species, were killed as a result of the extreme weather event last November.
Those are conservative figures, and do not take into account rain-induced canopy damage or reduced food availability, said the authors of the study published on Wednesday.
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