Indonesian smoke haze takes heavy toll on children and endangered orangutans

Indonesian smoke haze takes heavy toll on children and endangered orangutans Borneo's orangutans forced out of habitat by haze from Indonesian peat blaze Indonesia's threatened orangutans are being choked by the haze from the land-clearing fires burning on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, and being driven out of their habitat into farmland, where they risk being shot. As with humans, the orangutans most at risk are the young. At a rehabilitation sanctuary just outside of Palangkaraya, in central Borneo, 16 baby orangutans have been treated for smoke inhalation. Six of the young orangutans suffered acute respiratory problems, said Monterado Fridman, from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation at Nyaru Menteng. "You do not see the effect straight away for the adults, but for babies you see the effect straight away," Mr Fridman told 7.30. "They get flu, cough, and diarrhoea, and without intervention they collapse in one or two weeks. "We reduce their activity and playtime outside, and they spend more time inside now, but if you bring them inside for a week or two they get stressed, because they are used to playing outside."