Orangutans are great apes, as
opposed to monkeys, and are closely related to humans, having 97% of DNA in
common.
Orangutans are extremely patient
and intelligent mammals. They are very observant and inquisitive, and there are
many stories of orangutans escaping from zoos after having watched their
keepers unlock and lock doors.
Height: males - about 1.5m; females - about 1.2m
Weight: males - 93 to 130 kg; females – 48 to 55 kg
Life Span: 60 years or more
Gestation: about 8.5 months
Number of Young at Birth: usually 1, very rarely 2
Extinction in the wild is likely
in the next 10 years for Sumatran orangutans and soon after for Bornean
orangutans. Both the Sumatran species (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean
species (Pongo pygmaeus) are classified as Critically Endangered according
to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The Sumatran and Bornean Orangutans' rainforest habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate due to deforestation and clearing of the land for pulp paper and palm oil plantations, with the remaining forest degraded by drought and forest fires.
- Logging is an obvious problem for
orangutans who spend their lives in trees.
- Fires endanger the orangutans and the
smoke confuses them leaving them vulnerable to death from loss of habitat
(food). Fires are commonly started to clear the land and undergrowth for
farming and palm oil plantations.
- Palm Oil Plantations are
now the leading suppliers for a global market that demands more of the
tree's versatile oil for cooking, cosmetics, and biofuel. But palm oil's
appeal comes with significant costs. Palm oil plantations often replace
tropical forests, killing endangered species, uprooting local communities,
and contributing to the release of climate-warming gases. The orangutans
that are displaced starve to death, are killed by plantation workers as
pests, or die in the fires.
- Poaching orangutan infants and hunting for
meat also threatens the species. Mothers are often killed for their
babies, which are then sold on the black market for pets as they are cute.
Babies cling to their mothers and suckle their mother’s milk until the age
of 6 years. Rescued infants are then rehabilitated by volunteers at
orangutan rescue centres. To support and help with the care of these
infants, you can Adopt an Orphan for as little as
USD$11 a month.
Over 150 rehabilitated orangutans have been released into the forest area to date via the TOP supported Bukit Tigapuluh Sumatran orangutan Reintroduction Project – the only reintroduction site for the Critically Endangered Sumatran orangutan.
- Logging is an obvious problem for
orangutans who spend their lives in trees.
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