Members of Indonesia’s conservation agencies evacuate a 20-year-old orangutan amid forest fires in Central Kalimantan. (AFP pic)JAKARTA: Dozens of critically endangered orangutans have been rescued in recent weeks from rampant wildfires burning across Indonesia that have cloaked the region in toxic haze, conservation groups said.

The fires have triggered a months-long pollution spell that has closed schools, fuelled a surge in respiratory conditions both among humans and animals, and restricted outdoor activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor.

Pollution levels again ranged from unhealthy to very unhealthy across the region on Sunday, cloaking many areas across southern Southeast Asia in toxic haze.