Haze taking a toll on wildlife in Indonesia
KUCHING: The haze in Indonesia is so hazardous that birds are falling dead on the streets — goes a headline of news portal World of Buzz.
And this was immediately followed by photos of dead birds lying on the pavements.
According to the report, at the time of publication, which was past noon yesterday, the API (Air Pollution Index) level of the state (Kalimantan) reached 1,000 which is deemed hazardous.
We reproduce in its entirety, the World of Buzz report:
If you looked outside your window now, you’d see that the once clear sky is covered by fog no thanks to the forest fires that are taking place in Kalimantan and Sumatera.
This phenomenon has not only affected us, humans, but it has also taken a toll on our animals as most of them are losing their homes. What’s even sadder is that some of them – like the birds – can’t even roam freely anymore because the toxic air is killing them.
A netizen, Susan Lankester shared a video on Twitter and tbh, we are beyond mortified after watching the video. In the video, it can be seen that birds are lying dead on the ground as the haze has affected their well-being.
Her tweet was accompanied by a caption which read,
“Birds (are) falling from the sky due to (the) toxic air that we’re breathing? This is due to irresponsible businesses causing harm to humans and animals.”
You can watch the sad video which has gotten over 7,300 retweets here: Susan Lankester@suelanks
Birds falling from the sky due to toxic air that we’re breathing? This is due to irresponsible businesses causing harm to humans & animals.
A voice – which belongs to the person recording the horrifying incident – said: “The haze has gone crazy and because of it, the birds are falling dead.” Oh no!
Based on the language used in the above video, this incident has most likely taken place in Indonesia where the air quality is at a hazardous level now.
This was proven in another viral video that shows Kalimantan covered in (the) haze that was caused by the forest fires.
Currently, the API (Air Pollution Index) level of the state has reached 1,000 and it is deemed hazardous. Further check, in API measurements, Kalimantan hits 500!
You can check out the video below to understand the severity of the haze in Kalimantan: Malaysia Viral Studio@FidzalMen
Birds are far from the only wildlife species suffering during haze. During the chocking Indonesian haze of October 2015, scientists discovered Indonesia’s fauna, among the world’s most diverse, and wildlife — including orang utan, elephants, snakes and even insects — severely affected by fires and haze.
Singapore’s surprisingly diverse wildlife, despite its rapid urbanisation, is also known to have suffered during periods of haze.
Back on June 20 2013, netizen Zap-It-Zeph shared a photo of birds found dead in Singapore’s Punggol town, one of the oldest inhabited areas on the island, due to the haze.
Video source: Twitter
