Devastating Floods Raise Alarm Over Tapanuli Orangutans' Survival

Sat Dec 20 2025 12:18:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Wildlife experts worry that the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans may have been lost in recent floods caused by Cyclone Senyar in Sumatra, Indonesia, as their habitats face severe destruction.

Cyclone Senyar’s impact has resulted in a worrying absence of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans in Sumatra. An alarming find—a suspected orangutan carcass—adds to fears that this species, discovered only in 2017, may be on the brink of extinction as their forest habitat suffers catastrophic damage from the cyclone’s aftermath.

An unusual silence in the forests of north Sumatra in Indonesia is worrying wildlife experts and conservationists.

Here, in the mountainous forests of Batang Toru, is where they had always seen and heard the world's rarest ape, the Tapanuli orangutans.

But ever since Cyclone Senyar devastated Sumatra on 25 November, the critically endangered primates have not been seen in the area, conservation workers say.

Their absence has fuelled speculation as to whether the great apes were swept away by floods and landslides. And while some believe the animals may have travelled to a safer location, a carcass found in the area, said to be that of an orangutan, is fuelling conservationists' fears.

Fewer than 800 Tapanuli orangutans remain, and any loss would have a serious impact on the species, conservationists say.

Humanitarian workers told the BBC they found the dead animal semi-buried in the debris of mud and logs in Pulo Pakkat village in central Tapanuli district earlier this week.

When I first saw it I was not sure what it was, because it was kind of defaced, perhaps because it was buried underneath by the sludge and logs, said Deckey Chandra, who has been working with a humanitarian team in the area. He previously worked in the conservation of the Tapanuli orangutans.

I have seen several dead bodies of humans in the past few days but this was the first dead wildlife, he said. They used to come to this place to eat fruits. But now it seems to have become their graveyard.

Mr Chandra shared with the BBC pictures he took of the carcass, some of which show him with the dead animal.

Conservationists working in the region believe it is of the Tapanuli orangutan, a species that was only discovered in 2017. The other two species are Bornean and Sumatran orangutans.

More than 900 people have died as a result of heavy rain, floods and landslides since Cyclone Senyar ravaged parts of Indonesia in late November. Hundreds are still missing, with many villages in Sumatra completely destroyed as the storm swept across the island.

Professor Erik Meijaard, managing director of Borneo Futures in Brunei, is now studying the disasters' impact on the orangutans with the help of satellite images.

He said 4,800 hectares (11,860 acres) of forest on the mountain slopes can be seen as destroyed by landslides - but since part of the satellite image is cloud covered, he's extrapolated the destruction figure to 7,200 hectares in his preliminary observation.

The destroyed areas would have contained some 35 orangutans, and considering the violence of the destruction it wouldn't surprise us if they are all dead. That's a major blow to the population, he told the BBC.

These areas show as bare soil on satellite imagery where two weeks ago it was primary forest. Complete destruction. Many patches of several hectares completely denuded. It must have been hellish in the forest at the time.

Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder of Orangutan Information Centre which works for the conservation of the primates in the region, said the carcass meant it was highly possible some Tapanuli orangutans were unable to escape as rushing waters and landslides swept through their habitat.

Pictures showing the carcass of a Sumatran elephant, another critically endangered species, being swept away by floods in Aceh in northern Sumatra went viral on social media last week.

The island hosts a range of endangered species like Sumatran tigers, elephants, and rhinos. But conservation workers say there are particular concerns for orangutans and other primates, like gibbons, because huge parts of the mountainous forest in the Tapanuli district saw massive landslides due to Cyclone Senyar's extreme rainfall.

Dr Ian Singleton, scientific director for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, indicated that it is crucial to rebuild research centres in the affected regions to continue conservation efforts amid the devastation.