LANDSLIDES KILL 7% OF WORLD'S RAREST GREAT APE POPULATION

Extreme rainfall and landslides in Indonesia killed 7% of the remaining population of the Tapanuli orangutan last year, according to a new study. The research found that 58 of the approximately 800 surviving individuals died as a result of the extreme weather. The Tapanuli orangutan is classified as critically endangered and is considered the world's rarest great ape. The deaths have prompted fears for the species' survival.

The study links the extreme weather events to the climate crisis. The Tapanuli orangutan population is concentrated in North Sumatra, where the landslides occurred. The loss of 58 individuals represents a significant proportion of a population already small enough to place the species at acute risk of extinction. Researchers identified the rainfall and subsequent landslides as the direct cause of the deaths.

The findings raise serious questions about the compounding threats facing the Tapanuli orangutan, which faces pressure from both habitat loss and extreme weather events. A population of around 800 individuals leaves the species with limited capacity to absorb losses of this scale. The study adds to a growing body of research documenting the impact of climate-fuelled extreme weather on critically endangered wildlife. Conservation efforts focused on the species will now contend with climate-related mortality alongside existing threats.