TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A video showing a Papuan cuscus stranded on what appears to be a pile of tree remains in a cleared forest area in Merauke, South Papua, has gone viral on social media, raising concerns over habitat loss caused by deforestation.
The video was first posted on TikTok by the account @wahyu.putra376. Filmed from inside an excavator, it shows the spotted cuscus sitting motionless on a tree stump in an area where much of the surrounding forest has been cleared.
Another video posted by the same account shows several excavators removing and uprooting trees at what appears to be the same location.
The video was later circulated by Instagram account @ussfeeds, which linked the scene to large-scale forest conversion in South Papua.
Merauke has been designated by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration as a key area for strategic projects aimed at achieving food and energy self-sufficiency. The government has also expanded plans to develop new palm oil plantations in the region.
According to the Instagram post, the government has changed the designation of nearly 500,000 hectares of forest in South Papua for various projects. The post described the cuscus video as an example of the impact of planned forest clearing.
“Because these animals live and forage in trees, the loss of forest also means the loss of their main habitat,” the post said.
Why Forest Loss Threatens Cuscus
Wartika Rosa Farida, a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)’s Center for Applied Zoology Research, said cuscuses are endemic marsupials found mainly in eastern Indonesia, including Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua.
The mammals are fully arboreal, meaning they depend heavily on the tree canopy in primary forests.
“They move very slowly, cannot travel long distances, and have prehensile tails specifically adapted for climbing between tree branches,” Wartika said when contacted on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
When forests are cleared, cuscuses lose more than shelter, she said. They also lose food sources, movement routes, hiding places and breeding areas.
Their limited ability to move between fragmented habitats makes them particularly vulnerable to forest destruction, Wartika said.
The cuscus seen in the viral video appearing confused and motionless illustrates the immediate consequences of habitat loss, she added.
“As a researcher who has studied cuscuses in various parts of eastern Indonesia, I emphasize that protecting their forests means protecting the species itself,” Wartika said.
Deforestation Could Drive Local Extinction
Wartika warned that continued habitat destruction could push cuscus populations toward extinction, particularly as forests are converted into plantations, mining areas and agricultural land.
Such conversion fragments continuous forests into isolated patches, disrupting the movement and breeding of animal populations.
“Because cuscuses move very slowly and do not cross open land, genetic diversity will decline, accelerating local extinction,” she said.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade also add pressure. Cuscuses are hunted for their meat and traded because of their distinctive appearance and fur.
All cuscus species in Indonesia are protected under Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation No. P.106/2018 and are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which places restrictions on their international trade.
Wartika also pointed to gaps in scientific data as another conservation challenge. The distribution, population size and ecological needs of many cuscus species remain insufficiently understood, making it harder to establish conservation priorities.
She said enforcement and public awareness also remained challenges despite existing legal protections.
“Not everyone understands that cuscuses are protected wildlife and play an important ecological role as seed dispersers and leaf eaters that help maintain forest ecosystems,” she said.
Indonesia is home to at least 14 to 24 cuscus species, depending on the latest taxonomic classification, with the animals distributed across Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and Timor in East Nusa Tenggara.
All cuscus species in Indonesia are legally protected, while many are classified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered.
“We must not allow any of these species to disappear through negligence or greed,” Wartika said.
