Orangutans Reported Killed Fleeing Fires

People killed or tortured 120 orangutans that were forced out of their habitat by wildfires that have raged through the island of Borneo, a newspaper reported. Willie Smits, chief of the Wanariset Samboja conservatory for the red-haired apes, said the animals were captured by villagers who beat or killed them, according to the daily Suara Pembaruan. He said some younger ones had been sold for up to $100. Smits did not specify the number killed. Raging forest fires in Indonesia have smothered vast parts of the country and Southeast Asia with a smoky haze for months. Authorities ordered villagers not to harm tigers, monkeys and other rare wildlife that have been forced into populated areas. Borneo is home to an estimated 20,000 orangutans.