Bishop urged 'try jogging in Kalimantan'

Indonesian conservationists are sending out an appeal to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as they struggle to deal with worst-ever forest fires.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been invited to take her running shoes to Kalimantan. (AAP)

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been invited to take her running shoes to Kalimantan, where Indonesian conservationists are struggling to contain peat fires threatening endangered orangutans.

Ms Bishop last week visited Padang, Sumatra, another haze-choked island, where she was photographed by AAP taking a morning jog in a park.

Indonesians were stunned to see her exercising in the unhealthy conditions without a face mask, which many have worn for weeks now, just to go about daily life.

The photos also caught the attention of Dr Jamartin Sihite.

The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation chief is desperately trying to protect the Mawas Conservation area in central Kalimantan from fires, patrolling 309,000 hectares with only 60 staff and volunteers.

He posted on Facebook an invitation for Ms Bishop to join him for a jog, with a photo of him in an opaque, orange wall of pollution.

"We also know that Australia is quite experienced and your firefighting agencies are fully equipped in battling against forest fire," BOS spokesman Nico Hermanu said.

"We indeed consider that this haze has become an international, or regional at the least, problem."

The Mawas peatland sustains one of the largest remaining orangutan populations with an estimated 3000 animals in the area.

While BOS has not yet lost any of the endangered species to the fires or haze, it has rescued six animals trapped by fires, and has had to move several to another facility with respiratory illnesses.

Indonesia's fires are an annual man-made event, caused by slash-and-burn farming.

This year they have produced a blanket of haze that has closed schools and grounded flights as far away as the Philippines.

In Indonesia, at least 12 people have died from respiratory illness and ships are being readied to evacuate people from the worst-affected regions.

While in Padang, Ms Bishop said Australia would have to assess its own firefighting needs for the coming bushfire season before sending further help to Indonesia.


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Source: AAP


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