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Tapanuli orangutan after the Sumatra floods
The entire species lives in the Batang Toru ecosystem, where landslides after cyclone-driven storms in December 2025 destroyed part of the forest.
Open on the interactive globeAn estimated 577-760 Tapanuli orangutans remain, and landslides destroyed 4,800 to 7,200 hectares of forest in western Batang Toru. Scientists estimate about 35 individuals, around 4 percent of the population, may have died, and contact was lost with 10 monitored animals. Zoning plans, a hydropower project and gold mining add further pressure.
Species
| Species | IUCN status | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pongo tapanuliensis Pongo tapanuliensis | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2025) | news.mongabay.com |
Needs
- habitat
Who is helping
Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (1). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP)SOCP protects Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans: it runs research stations, the Batu Mbelin quarantine and rehabilitation centre near Medan and reintroduction programmes…Donate on the organisation's website (sumatranorangutan.org)
Latest reports
- Green flood alert in Indonesia GDACS (UE i ONZ), 28 September 2026
Sources
- news.mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2025/12/sumatran-flood-disaster-may-have-wiped-out-key-tapanuli-orangut…
- news.mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2025/12/tapanuli-orangutan-devastated-by-cyclone-now-faces-habitat-loss…
- orangutanrepublik.org orangutanrepublik.org/weblog/2025/12/14/floods-impact-critically-endangered-tapanuli-oran…
- iucnredlist.org iucnredlist.org/species/120588639/120588662
Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections
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