"For the first 89 days of 1998, there was not a single drop of rain," says Smits, who does research at the Wanariset Forestry Station and advises the Indonesian government. "It was really a desert climate. Nothing could stand up to that drought."

During the dry spell, fires set to clear land have burned out of control. Many of the forest's orangutans have died. "Before the drought, there were about 20,000 orangutans," he says. He's not sure how many have died in the fires or starved since the crisis began. He and his team have rescued at least 230 orangutans since 1997. Most of them were babies.

"Every day our people are out rescuing orangutans," he says. Many forestry projects focus on conserving, planting and studying trees. But Smits and his team know that the orangutans are key to the survival of the forest. "They distribute the seeds of many important forest trees," says Smits. "If the orangutans are lost, you are bound to lose a lot of biodiversity." Biodiversity refers to a large variety of plants and animals.

Smits' group cares for orphaned orangutans and helps them learn to survive in the wild so that they can be released. "We have taken over the role of the mother orangutan, who usually teaches the baby what it can eat," says Smits. His team also finds suitable spots in the forest to release apes that have been burned out of their homes.

Born to Be in the Wild
Smits grew up in the Netherlands and spent most of his free time observing birds. When he was 12, he sent his first wildlife report to a bird-watching journal. (The journal didn't publish it but thought it was pretty good for a 12-year-old.) He considered becoming a veterinarian but changed his mind. Later he discovered tropical forestry, his true calling.

Smits wants to help the forest's cute, red-haired orangutans, but he is even more determined to help the people in its villages. He is helping them plant trees that they can use for food and lumber, for which they can earn money. That way, they will be less likely to try to make a living by capturing orangutans and selling them illegally. "You have to help the people to help the forest," he says.

Now and then, Smits gets discouraged when he sees how recklessly the Indonesians have treated the Kalimantan forest. "Sometimes it makes you feel desperate," he says, "but we still have to try to help nature, and people, as much as we can."