Wildfires sweeping across Indonesia's Borneo island are putting endangered orangutans in danger.

Rescuers have found apes injured, stranded and surrounded by thick haze, the Associated Press reported via ABC News. Dozens have been rescued from fires in parts of Sumatra and Borneo in recent months.

One was a young female nicknamed Novita. She was found clinging to a nearly leafless tree as smoke filled the burned Katune forest in Central Kalimantan province, said Jamartin Sihite, chairman of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

"The palms of her hands and the soles of her feet suffered burns," Sihite said. Novita, about 3 to 4 years old, was given oxygen and fluids and taken to a rehabilitation center. Once she heals, workers will check whether she can climb and survive in the wild.

Not all have survived. A male orangutan named Sampurna, about 20 years old, was found struggling to breathe on a palm oil plantation and died hours after rescue, Indonesia's Forestry Ministry said. More than 270 wild animals in Kalimantan have been rescued or moved to safer areas.

Fires have worsened this year as El Niño makes the dry season longer. Government data showed more than 202,000 hectares, about 499,000 acres, burned from January to July.

Fires are burning in forests that hold 13 of the 20 largest remaining populations of Bornean orangutans, Mongabay reported. "There could be local extinction," experts warned. They called for long-term, community-led action beyond emergency firefighting.

Bornean orangutans are critically endangered. Japan has sent firefighting help, and water shortages have made fighting the fires harder, the AP reported.

What we know: Wildfires in Indonesian Borneo, worsened by El Niño, have left orangutans burned and stranded, including a young female named Novita.
What we don't: How many orangutans have been hurt or killed, and whether Novita can return to the wild.