Indonesia floods were extinction level' disturbance for rare orangutan species

"Indonesia's deadly flooding was an extinction-level disturbance for the world's rarest great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday. Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, Tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia's Sumatra. One dead suspected Tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP."

"The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species, said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chair of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia. Analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the Tapanuli's range suggests last month's flooding, which killed nearly 1,000 people, may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region."

"The scientists focused on the area known as the West Block, the most densely populated of three known Tapanuli habitats, home to an estimated 581 Tapanulis before the disaster. We think that between 6 and 11% of orangutans were likely killed, said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist. Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds 1%, you're driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start, he told AFP. But Tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added."

Deadly flooding in Sumatra inflicted catastrophic damage on Tapanuli orangutan habitat and survival prospects. The Tapanuli orangutan was scientifically classified as a species in 2017 and numbers fewer than 800 individuals, confined to a limited range in the Batang Toru region. One suspected dead individual has been found. Satellite imagery and range data indicate severe landscape scouring in the West Block, previously home to about 581 Tapanulis, with gashes extending over a kilometre and up to 100 metres wide. Estimated mortality in that area ranges from 6% to 11%, far above the 1% adult mortality threshold that accelerates extinction. Mudflows likely displaced or killed other wildlife, including elephants.

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