Catastrophic flooding and landslides in North Sumatra have ravaged one of the world’s most vulnerable wildlife habitats, putting the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan on the brink of further decline, conservation groups warn.
Triggered by a powerful cyclone, the disaster inundated large swaths of forest around the district of Sipirok, killing more than 900 people and leaving hundreds missing. Beyond the human toll, the floods have reshaped the landscape of the Batang Toru ecosystem the only home of the rare Tapanuli orangutan.
Before the floods, rangers from the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) frequently observed orangutans foraging among the hillsides near local villages. Now, they say, those sightings have all but vanished. Large areas of forest were stripped bare or swept away by fast-moving water and mud, leaving the tree-dwelling apes with nowhere to feed, nest, or travel.
The Tapanuli orangutan, identified as a distinct species only in 2017, is considered the world’s rarest great ape, with an estimated population of just 760 individuals. Even before the floods, their survival was threatened by years of logging, mining operations, and plantation expansion that fractured the forest canopy essential for their movement and reproduction.
Environmental groups warn that the combined effects of extreme weather and long-standing deforestation have created a crisis that could push the species toward local extinction. The damaged forest has left fewer pathways for orangutans to migrate or find food, and conservationists fear that some may have been killed or displaced by the landslides.
Experts say restoration and protection of the surviving forest will be critical in the coming months. They are urging Indonesian authorities to halt further development in the region and prioritize emergency habitat recovery, warning that continued environmental degradation will only amplify the impact of future storms.
As communities rebuild from one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent memory, conservationists caution that the fate of the Tapanuli orangutan now hangs in the balance and that the coming decisions may determine whether this great ape can survive in the wild. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.
