| Nyaru Menteng Rescues Orangutans from Fires Palm Oil Companies to Blame for More Devastation | ||||||||
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Fires, primarily set by palm oil companies, continue to rage out of control in Borneo and Sumatra, sending a thick, choking haze over Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and even as far away as Guam, 3600 km to the east.
Schools and airports in the region have been closed, and people advised to stay indoors. The fires now have nearly reached the level they did in 1997-98, which cost the region an estimated US$9 billion in disruptions to air travel and other business activities, and which wiped out as much as a third of the existing population of orangutans. The fires were estimated to have destroyed 5 million hectares -- an area equivalent to Costa Rica.
Palangka Raya, the area where our Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Project is located, is the worst hit, with over 2.5 million acres of peatland currently on fire, and with visibility now down to less than 30 meters. The reports from the field are horrendous, and our rescue teams have been working without let up. The area where we released 42 wild orangutans in March is now on fire, as well as parts of the Mawas Reserve. Hardi, the assistant manager at Nyaru Menteng, recently wrote: “There is a big forest fire in the Agro Bukit concession. We believe that it burn by workers under the order of plantation management. Orangutans run burning forest to plantation and many of them killed! Our rescue team works hard to save them by translocate to another area. We got 4 orphaned babies.” Ministers from ASEAN countries met last week in order to come up with a plan to tackle the problem, but failed to reach a detailed attack plan. Indonesia is the only country in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that has yet to ratify the 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which would result in the establishment of a regional co-ordinating centre capable of reacting quickly to the smoke and in which signatories gain access to a 'haze fund' to help them with fighting fires and the seeding of clouds. However, even without ratification, Indonesia was offered help to put out the fires, but there has not been any positive response to accept the assistance. Fleur Butcher, of BOS Australia, recently returned from Nyaru Menteng. She wrote: “It was with relief and excitement I boarded a cramped little aircraft, leaving the chaos of Jakarta knowing I would soon be at Nyaru Menteng. It was a short flight and in no time at all I was descending through the clouds. I peered through the window looking for familiar landmarks and the scars of cleared forest on the land. The clouds seemed to go on forever. It took some time before I realised we were flying through thick smoke. The ground appeared briefly before we smacked into the runway. The brakes squealed and the plane shuddered as the pilot did his best to slow us down. We ended up with a meter to spare at the end of the runway. Welcome to Palangkarya. “Going down the stairs of the plane I was not only hit by the expected heat and humidity, but by choking smoke. It was like standing on the wrong side of a camp fire. My chest burned and eyes started to water. “I was met by Lone’s friendly face. She explained the smoke was just the norm at the moment. It had not rained for two months, and fires just burned constantly. Driving down the nerve wrecking roads was given an added dimension with the reduced visibility.” The Indonesian Government has stated that the burning is coming from the traditional slash-and-burn activities of smallholders and not plantation companies. They add that the only way to stop the fires is to wait for the annual rains, which are expected to arrive within the next few weeks. Even if the rains do come, the peat can continue to burn for many more months, bringing with it even more victims. Today, another email arrived from Hardi in Nyaru Menteng: “Saturday night, I work 24 hours to save 3 orangutan babies from palm oil plantation. Forest fires more and more bigger in Sampit, especially in Agro Bukit. We also got 2 gibbons from the areas. On Monday, we got one more orangutan. Her feet burned very bad. At Tuesday morning (02.00), the reporter from National Geographic come with 1 red leaf-eating monkey...infant baby. She looks dying. I was crying and asked: why? Thanks to medical team! She still alive until now...unfortunately the death come to another orangutan. Metallica passed away. Do you still remember her? Girl with fingers cut off by plantation workers. Today, the rescue team come with 1 orangutan and 2 gibbons. I also get sms from Bram and team from Agro Bukit. He told me that he found an adult male orangutan with broken hand. At least 20 people catch him...with wooden stick! He is bloody. Michelle, I have no anymore hope to solve this problem. I have to find any alternative ways....to stop this soon.” To demand urgent international action to address this issue at the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, go to: |
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| http://www.climateark.org |
