World's Rarest Orangutans Pushed Closer to Extinction As 58 Were Killed After Four Days of Extreme Rain

Orangutan tapanuli (Pongo tapanuliensis): the world's rarest and most endangered orangutan population. (Credit: Dimasmhd, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

One of the world's rarest orangutan populations has been pushed closer to extinction after 58 individuals out of 800 were reported dead following four days of extreme rainfall in November 2025, according to conservation sources.

The deaths are believed to have occurred in a highly restricted and already fragmented habitat, where the population exists in extremely low numbers and is considered one of the most vulnerable genetic groups of orangutans in the wild.