Orangutans: The Fight Against Extinction
Orangutans are the adorable apes that can only be found in the rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo. Within their exotic home, orangutans spend most of their time up in the trees. During the frequent rains, they use the large leaves as umbrellas. The Borneo and Sumatra orangutans have slightly different appearances and behaviors. Sumatra orangutans are known to form closer bonds than their Borneo counterparts. Borneo orangutans spend more time on the forest floor and have shorter facial hair. However, both species are critically endangered. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are currently 104,700 Bornean orangutans left and 7,500 Sumatran orangutans left. This is due to habitat loss, deforestation, hunting, fires, palm oil plantations, and illegal wildlife trade.
Habitat Loss and Deforestation:
Deforestation has become a major problem in Southeast Asia, which currently has the highest rate of deforestation in the world. Between 2000 and 2014, roughly 113,000 sq. miles of forest were lost. As the demand for timber increases, the lack of laws enforcing legal and sustainable logging practices poses an even greater threat to the orangutans. Since orangutans are dependent on trees the lack of them has forced the orangutans to move outside the forest. More than 50% of orangutans are found in areas under management by timber, palm oil, and mining industries. These areas are not protected.
Hunting and the Illegal Pet Trade:
Orangutans sometimes wander into agricultural areas, usually in search of food, when the forest can no longer provide the food they need. The orangutans are then killed by hunters in revenge for wrecking crops. Orangutans are large and slow animals, making them easy prey, to hunt down for food, too. Females are a popular target because the offspring can be kept as illegal pets. It was found, that for every orangutan imported to Taiwan, 3–5 additional animals died during the course of the importation. Though Taiwan is taking steps to combat the illegal pet trade, it still remains a significant problem in Indonesia. Unfortunately, orangutans are coveted “pets” around the world. In a study done by the UN Environment Program, about 6,000 great apes are killed each year with the intent of trading or keeping them as pets. It was also found that up to 70% of these apes were orangutans. There is a larger number of orangutans because they are forced closer to humans, as a result of deforestation. Thankfully there are some organizations working to rescue and rehabilitate orangutans, such as the International Animal Rescue.
Palm Oil Plantations:
Palm oil is in high demand by consumers across the globe. As a result, rain forests are cleared for the ever-growing palm oil plantations. Palm oil is a common vegetable oil, that can be found in a variety of products. 80% of palm oil comes from Indonesia, the home of the orangutan. After the forest is cleared, it is often burnt, leading to forest fires. The smoke from the fires confuses the orangutans and makes them vulnerable to death by starvation.
Why Orangutans Matter:
Orangutans are an umbrella species, which means that protecting orangutans indirectly protects other species. They also play an important role in seed dispersal, because of their fruit-dominating diet. Orangutans only produce one baby every 3–5 years. This makes them even more susceptible to population declines. Overall, orangutans are innocent animals, they do not deserve to be persecuted because of human actions.
GREEN ZINE contributors are volunteers amplifying their voices on environmental and social justice issues. Views expressed may or may not represent the voice, opinions, or policy stances of Greenpeace. Instead, writing on GREEN ZINE reflects the creative brains of individuals.
