Story perspectives

Cyclone Senyar Kills 58 Orangutans, 7% of Species

6/12/2026

Summary

Cyclone Senyar Kills

Cyclone Senyar killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans, about 7% of the species.
Professor Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures raised the estimate from roughly 35 to 58, noting researchers consider the figure conservative because it omits canopy damage and food loss.
Workers in Pulo Pakkat village found a semi-buried orangutan carcass weeks after the storm, which also killed over 1,000 people during four days of rain and landslides in late November 2025.

Summary

Indonesia Suspends

Indonesia temporarily suspended major mining, oil-palm and hydropower projects in the protected Batang Toru forest to let scientists assess ecological risks.
Researchers linked Cyclone Senyar’s extreme intensity to human-induced climate change and warned similar heavy-rain events will become more frequent.
The study said a >1 % annual decline would drive the Tapanuli orangutan to certain extinction, urging climate-responsive land-use planning, stronger protection and sustained international aid to avert the first modern great-ape loss.

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Cyclone Senyar Kills

Cyclone Senyar killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans, about 7% of the species.
Professor Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures raised the estimate from roughly 35 to 58, noting researchers consider the figure conservative because it omits canopy damage and food loss.
Workers in Pulo Pakkat village found a semi-buried orangutan carcass weeks after the storm, which also killed over 1,000 people during four days of rain and landslides in late November 2025.

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