About the orangutan.

Orang-utans are known as gardeners of the forest. They play a vital role in seed dispersal and in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem, which is important for people and a host of other animals, including tigers, Asian elephants and Sumatran rhinos. So by conserving the orangutan’s habitat, we’re also benefiting local communities and other species. There are two species of orang-utan - the Bornean and Sumatran which differ a little in appearance and behavior. While both species have shaggy reddish fur, Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair.

Sumatran orang-utans are also reported to have closer social bonds than their Bornean cousins.

Basic orangutan facts.

Some basic orangutan facts

Meaning

In Malay orang means “person” and utan is derived from hutan, which means “forest.” Thus, orangutan literally means “person of the forest.”

Arms

Orangutans’ arms stretch out longer than their bodies – up to 8 ft. from fingertip to fingertip in the case of very large males.

Caring

For the first few years of his/her life, a young orangutan holds tight to his/her mother’s body as she moves through the forest canopy.

Reproduction

Orangutans spend most of their time up in the trees, where they use their long, strong arms and hook-shaped hands to climb and swing from branch to branch.

What's happening to the orangutan.

What's causing the habitat loss?

Oil palm is the world’s most productive oil seed. Demand for the product has been growing by more than 9% per annum in the last decade. This is being driven by not only the food and cosmetic industry but more recently its usage as a biofuel. To read more on palm oil. The combined effect of logging and oil palm expansion resulted in Indonesia having the world’s highest deforestation rate in 2006 according to a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report from 2007. It concluded that up to 98% of the orangutan habitat in Borneo and Sumatra may be destroyed by 2022 without urgent action.

Illegal vs legal logging.

The UNEP report, “The Last Stand of the Orangutan: State of Emergency”, estimated that illegal logging accounts for more than 70% of the timber harvested in Indonesia and that it is occurring in 37 of the country’s 41 national parks. The industry is driven by excess saw mill capacity and better returns for timber producers than utilising legally harvested timber. In short, it's cheaper to illegally harvest the wood than doing it the legla way.

Where does the money go?

For more information about where the money is going visit: https://standfortrees.org/en/protect-a-forest/rimba-raya-orangutan-reserve

The orangutan.