For months following peatland wildfires in Borneo, the behavior and voices of critically endangered orangutans change, according to a new study led by a researcher from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
These pronounced changes make it possible to assess the health of wild populations by monitoring the frequency and quality of their sounds – an alternative to the dangers posed by trying to study the animals in person during a wildfire. The study, “Wildfire Smoke Linked to Vocal Changes in Wild Bornean Orangutans” published June 13 in iScience.
Wildfire smoke a threat to already endangered orangutans | Cornell Chronicle
These pronounced changes make it possible to assess the health of wild populations by monitoring the frequency and quality of their sounds – an alternative to the dangers posed by trying to study the animals in person during a wildfire. The study, “Wildfire Smoke Linked to Vocal Changes in Wild Bornean Orangutans” published June 13 in iScience.
Wildfire smoke a threat to already endangered orangutans | Cornell Chronicle