HAZE COVERS FOREST SCHOOL

For the last few days, residents of Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan have been significantly impacted by a think haze which has covered the town and surrounding area. The haze is worsening each day and is a direct result of deliberately set forest and peatland fires during this long dry season in Central Kalimantan. Daily activities are negatively impacted upon and health issues arise, including health issues within our own orangutan population in Nyaru Menteng.
 

Impacting Forest School Activities

Forest burning occurs almost every year in Central Kalimantan and significantly impacts our orangutans and our overall activities. In 2008, the BOS Foundation was forced to reduce orangutan rehabilitation activities because the haze was so dense it covered all of our facilities within Nyaru Menteng. The visibility was very low at only one meter, which meant that for the orangutans who usually start school at 7 am, could in fact only be taken to the forest at 10 am.

This year, the haze has been worsening since the first week of September. The baby orangutans within our Nursery Group have been most affected by this situation. The haze is so dense that we have been forced to keep them indoors, which they clearly dislike as are so active; they need to be in the forest.
 

Orangutan Health Condition

The haze is clearly bothering both human and orangutan's health. When haze occurs, dust particles and carbon combustion residual will enter the respiratory tract and can cause excessive allergic reactions. This then triggers infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia because the body's immune system decreases in effectiveness.

The babies are the most affected by this situation as they are still so young and their immune systems are too immature to fight these extreme environmental conditions. As of late August, six of the 13 orangutans in Nursery Group have been treated intensively by the medical team due to Acute Respitory Infection (ARI) and eye infections. As the situation continues to worsen this month, we grow even more concerned that this situation will intensify.

There is not much we can do. The medical team is providing the orangutans with vitamins supplements as a precaution to boost their immune system.

Saving Orangutan Habitat

The haze that has once again impacted Central Kalimantan is a huge concern for us.  Since the beginning of July 2014, forest fires have occured in Central Kalimantan, followed by the appearance of mist.  The heavy rain that occurred in the last week of July gave us some hope that the haze would dissipate. But unfortunately that was not the case and the fires spread even wider. Both community land and peatland around Nyaru Menteng was burned which in turn has caused a thick layer of choking smoke.

The local government helped by forest firefighters have been working hard to overcome the haze in every area affected by forest fires, but without awareness to stop the practice of forest burning, this appaling condition will continue to happen negatively affecting all life forms in the region.