Sumatran elephants threatened by massive Indonesian forest fires

Critically endangered Sumatran elephants are facing severe threats from massive forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Between June and early September, more than 4,500 fire hotspots were recorded across 21 elephant habitats. During this same period, over 560,000 hectares of land burned in Indonesia.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that only between 2,400 and 2,800 Sumatran elephants remain in the wild. Annissa Rahmawati of the NGO Geopix noted that the impact on the environment is brutal, causing habitat loss, fragmentation, and a reduction in food and water resources, which has forced elephants to alter their migration patterns. Additionally, exposure to toxic smoke poses a risk to their physical health.

Indonesia has deployed ground and air units to combat fires affecting Sumatra and Borneo. The intense smoke has also impacted neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Experts attribute the increased intensity of this year's dry season fires to the El Niño climate phenomenon, alongside long-term climate change and decades of deforestation.