Wildfires are threatening the habitat of the critically endangered Sumatran elephant on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to the conservation group Geopix, which shared its findings with AFP on Wednesday. Indonesia has been battling fires in both Borneo and Sumatra for weeks, leading to a thick haze that has affected not only Indonesia but also neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore. In a recent report, Geopix noted that over 4,500 fire hotspots were recorded in 21 Sumatran elephant habitats between June and early September, putting one of the world's rarest elephant species at risk. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are between 2,400 and 2,800 Sumatran elephants remaining in the wild. The fires have had a devastating impact, with more than 560,000 hectares (1.4 million acres) burned in the same period. The number of hotspots within elephant habitats surged to over 2,800 in the first week of September, more than double the approximately 1,300 recorded in August, according to the NGO. Annisa Rahmawati, a senior wildlife campaigner at Geopix, explained the ecological consequences of the fires. “They cause habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, reducing food and water sources and altering the elephants’ movement patterns,” she said. Rahmawati also warned that exposure to toxic smoke from the fires could increase stress among the animals, and that a lack of food and water could further weaken their chances of survival. Indonesia regularly experiences wildfires during the dry season, which typically runs from July to October. This year, however, the blazes have been more severe, partly due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, which brings drier conditions. Experts also point to climate change, long-term forest degradation, and slash-and-burn land-clearing practices as contributing factors. These practices have altered the natural fire-resistant characteristics of the landscape, making it more prone to large-scale fires. According to the Indonesian government, more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of land burned between January and July. The Nusantara Atlas project estimated the burned area at nearly 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) during the same period. Including August, the estimated total area affected is nearly 896,000 hectares (2.2 million acres). These figures highlight the growing challenge of managing wildfires in a region where both wildlife and human communities are at risk.