The South Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA)\nhas confirmed the deaths of 12 proboscis monkeys due to forest and land\nfires in their habitat in Balimau village, Hulu Sungai Selatan (HSS)\nregency.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the head of Balimau village, there are around 60\nproboscis monkeys in the area, but that population figure still needs to\nbe verified by BKSDA through field monitoring after the fire struck the\nprotected animals\u2019 habitat,\u201d said the head of BKSDA South Kalimantan,\nAgus Ngurah Krisna, when contacted by ANTARA in Banjarmasin on Monday\n(14\/9).<\/p>\n
He said the agency received a report on Sunday (13\/9) from the Hulu\nSungai Selatan fire brigade and local residents regarding proboscis\nmonkeys affected by the fire in the Other Use Area (APL) of Balimau\nvillage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there were 12 proboscis monkeys, more or less, as well as one\npython and one king cobra that were burnt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Besides the Kalimantan-endemic species, Agus said the area is also a\nhabitat for other animals, such as lutung, known locally as hirangan,\nand long-tailed macaques. BKSDA South Kalimantan\u2019s team is still\nmonitoring the presence of these animals.<\/p>\n
The BKSDA South Kalimantan rescue team has visited the site to\nexamine the condition of the burnt habitat, the size of the affected\narea, and to determine whether any surviving animals still need rescue\nor evacuation.<\/p>\n
The inspection showed that the proboscis monkey habitat at the site\nconsists of two separate areas, each around two to three hectares in\nsize and separated by a road, with one area being village land and the\nother owned by the community.<\/p>\n
Agus revealed that the fire mainly occurred in the community-owned\narea, with around 80 per cent of the land burnt, while the village land\narea was safe. The dead proboscis monkeys were found in the\ncommunity-owned area.<\/p>\n
He said both areas form part of the proboscis monkeys\u2019 roaming range.\nThe area is a movement corridor for the monkeys, even though their\nhabitat is fragmented and does not form one contiguous ecosystem.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir habitat is indeed fragmented, so it is not one continuous\nstretch of habitat or one unified ecosystem, but separated into pieces,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He said the limited habitat conditions, combined with a fire that was\nquite large and accompanied by strong winds, were suspected to have\nprevented the proboscis monkeys in the area from escaping the\nflames.<\/p>\n
BKSDA South Kalimantan has handled all the proboscis monkey carcasses\nfound by burying them. If indications are found that the deaths were\ncaused by other factors, such as shooting, the carcasses will be taken\nfor examination by a veterinarian.<\/p>\n
BKSDA South Kalimantan is now coordinating with the regional\ngovernment, village and district administrations, and is encouraging the\ncommunity to protect the proboscis monkeys\u2019 habitat. Residents are also\nurged to help monitor for any animals that may still need\nevacuation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BKSDA team is still checking the condition of the landscape and\nland status in that APL area to determine the next handling steps and to\nensure the condition of the habitat and wildlife affected by the fire,\u201d\nAgus said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/12-proboscis-monkeys-found-dead-after-forest-fires-in-south-kalimantan-1789458874", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }