Guarding the Forest

GOAL 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

A flourishing life on land is the foundation for our life on this planet. We are all part of the planet’s ecosystem and we have caused severe damage to it through deforestation, loss of natural habitats and land degradation. Promoting a sustainable use of our ecosystems and preserving biodiversity is not a cause. It is the key to our own survival.

END DEFORESTATION AND RESTORE DEGRADED FORESTS

By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL HABITATS

Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.

ELIMINATE POACHING AND TRAFFICKING OF PROTECTED SPECIES

Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.

The Orangutan

Orangutan (o·rang·u·tan)

a large mainly solitary arboreal ape with long reddish hair, long arms, and hooked hands and feet, native to Borneo and Sumatra.

Species include:

Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus, Pongo Tapanuli

"People of the Forest"

The name orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. In the lowland forests in which they reside, orangutans live solitary existences. They feast on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and slurp water from holes in trees. They make nests in trees of vegetation to sleep at night and rest during the day. Adult male orangutans can weigh up to 200 pounds. Flanged males have prominent cheek pads called flanges and a throat sac used to make loud verbalizations called long calls. An unflanged male looks like an adult female. In a biological phenomenon unique among primates, an unflanged male can change to a flanged male for reasons that are not yet fully understood.

Bornean and Sumatran orangutans differ a little in appearance and behavior. While both have shaggy reddish fur, Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair. Sumatran orangutans are reported to have closer social bonds than their Bornean cousins. Bornean orangutans are more likely to descend from the trees to move around on the ground. Both species have experienced sharp population declines. A century ago there were probably more than 230,000 orangutans in total, but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated at about 104,700 based on updated geographic range (Endangered) and the Sumatran about 7,500 (Critically Endangered).

A third species of orangutan was announced in November, 2017. With no more than 800 individuals in existence, the Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered of all great apes.

Orangutans are the world’s largest arboreal animal and have long, flexible arms to support their tree-living lifestyle. Orangutans' arms are one-and-a-half times longer than their legs, and they also have very flexible, fully-rotating hips. Their feet are hand-like, making it easier to climb. (It's not inaccurate to describe orangutans as "four-handed"!) Orangutans have long fingers and opposable thumbs. Like all apes, they are tailless.

They are sexually dimorphic, with distinct differences in size and appearance between sexually mature males and females. Orangutans are large-bodied apes with sparse, long, shaggy, reddish-orange to dark brown hair. They are Males are nearly twice the size of females, and while both sexes are bearded, only adult male orangutans develop cheek pads (flanges), made of subcutaneous fibrous tissue. Both males and females have a sac hanging from their throat, but the male's is much larger and may be used to propel vocalizations across long ranges in dense jungle habitat. Orangutans have 32 teeth, and both males and females have powerful jaws capable of processing tough foods. Their lips help them to detect food textures before eating.

Borneon

The Bornean orangutan differs in appearance from the Sumatran orangutan, with a broader face and shorter beard and also slightly darker in color. Three subspecies are recognized, each localized to different parts of the island

Sumatran

Sumatran orangutans are the largest arboreal primate. They are sexually dimorphic (males and females look different) with males typically about twice the size of females.

Tapanuli

Tapanuli orangutans resemble Sumatran orangutans more than Bornean orangutans in body build and fur color. However, they have frizzier hair, smaller heads, and flatter and wide faces. Dominant male Tapanuli orangutans have prominent moustaches and large flat cheek pads, known as flanges, covered in downy hair.

Meet Kalijon

In her 13 years of life at the Kansas City Zoo, Bornean orangutan Kalijon has a story that is a heartwarming, one that has created relationships with all six other orangutans currently living at the zoo! Despite animal care staff spending a lot of time training maternal care behaviors with biological mother, TK, Kalijon did have to be hand-raised for a few months. She was then introduced to seasoned orangutan mother, Jill, who took over as her adoptive mother right away. Over the years, Kalijon spent time in various social groupings that included Jill’s daughter, Josephine (otherwise known as Josie), who is 7 years older than Kalijon, as well as adult male, Rufus, who doted on and played with her as if she were his own daughter. Josie’s son, Dusty, is 6 years younger than Kalijon and has been a perfect playful companion.

As Kaljon began maturing and passing the age where she would become independent from her mother in the wild, animal care staff began giving her opportunities to gain independence and confidence through modified social management of the zoo’s orangutan groups. This process began with separation training, helping her build confidence being away from Jill. Once she was comfortable being away from Jill, she was introduced to her biological parents, Berani and TK. This duo had visual and auditory access to Kalijon since she was born, but all three were physically together for the first time last summer. TK and Kalijon occasionally play, but Kalijon spends most of her time with Berani and the two appear to really enjoy each other’s company.

After these three were re-united, Kalijon was re-introduced to Josie and her son Dusty. Following these successful introductions, animal care staff created a rotational plan for Kalijon where she gets to spend time with all of these different groupings as well as time on her own. Her interactions with Dusty involve a lot of wrestling and play, which provides Josie with a presumably welcome break from Dusty’s never-ending energy. Kalijon’s animal care specialists believe this fission/fusion management style has built a lot of confidence for the 13-year-old. This method also has created ample opportunities for social enrichment and enhancing her social knowledge to better prepare her for future introductions with other orangutans she might embark upon in the future, not to mention endless amazing photo opportunities.

Upon recommendation of the Orangutan SSP, Kalijon now lives at the Topeka Zoo with their male Bumi, and is doing fantastic!

What do YOU call home?

The forests of Indonesia, along with their thousands of plant and animal species, are being destroyed at an alarming rate due to massive illegal logging and clearing for palm oil plantations.

Indonesia’s tropical forests are of global importance, covering over 98 million hectares (242,163,274 acres). The rapid deterioration of tropical forests is causing incalculable losses in terms of biodiversity and is pushing species such as the orangutan ever closer to extinction.

“Twelve percent of all mammal species, 16% of reptile and amphibian species, and 17% of bird species are found on the 17,000 islands that constitute Indonesia.”
Orangutan Foundation International

Until twelve and a half thousand years ago, orangutans were found throughout Southeast Asia ranging all the way to the island of Java and into southern China. Orangutan populations probably numbered in the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. Today, however, the few orangutans left in the tropical rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra number less than 60,000. Approximately 7,300 are found in northern Sumatra in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra while the rest are found in Borneo, in the Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan Tengah (Central Indonesian Borneo), Kalimantan Barat (West Indonesian Borneo), and Kalimantan Timur (East Indonesian Borneo) and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak in the northern third of Borneo. Kalimantan Tengah (Central Indonesian Borneo) is the orangutan capital of the world with more than 50% of all wild orangutans found there.

Most of Indonesia’s forests are found in the Indonesian half of New Guinea, and on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The forests of Indonesia represent 10% of the world’s remaining tropical forests. Indonesia’s forests are the second largest in the world after the forests of Brazil. Unfortunately, over the years Indonesia has lost up to 80% of its original forest habitat and continues to lose 6.2 million acres (2,509,051 hectares) a year. Indonesia entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008 and 2009 for having the highest rate of deforestation of any country in the world!

Indonesia is one of the five most species-rich countries in the world, with a high rate of endemic species. Twelve percent of all mammal species, 16% of reptile and amphibian species, and 17% of bird species are found on the 17,000 islands that constitute Indonesia. Of Indonesian species, 772 species are threatened or endangered, giving Indonesia the third highest number of threatened species of any country in the world. Of Indonesia’s approximately 40 primate species, 20 have lost more than half their original habitat in the last ten years; orangutans are among those species.

What do Orangutans call home?

Let's explore the islands of Southeast Asia together.

Preferred habitat of the Sumatran orangutan is in the canopies of primary rainforests, swamp forests and riparian forests that include mature fruit trees. Sumatran orangutans live only on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Inhabiting equatorial Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, encompassing the countries of Indonesia (home to the species’ greatest population), Malaysia, and Brunei, Bornean orangutans live in lowland and hilly tropical and subtropical rainforests at elevations up to 2,625 feet, or a half-mile (800 m), above sea level. They make the rainforest canopy their home.

A Species Under Fire

Orangutans are estimated to go extinct within 10-15 years.

STATUS

Critically Endangered

POPULATION

104,700 (Bornean)

13,846 (Sumatran)

800 (Tapanuli)

The Bornean orangutan is listed as critically endangered and numbers approximately 104,700, the Sumatran orangutan is considered critically endangered with an estimated population of less than 14,000, and the Tapanuli orangutan is also critically endangered with an estimated population of fewer than 800. A century ago, more than 230,000 orangutans likely roamed in the wild.

Numbers still decreasing but efforts being made are slightly improving that rate. Zoos and Research centers are greatly assisting this; many orangutan babies are born under professional care.

Habitat Loss

Orangutans are the largest primarily arboreal animals, which means they spend most of their time up in the trees. They prefer habitats like forested floodplains, lowland swamps, and mountain foothills. As frugivores (fruit eaters), they require large home ranges to forage for sufficient amounts of food. Even small changes in their habitat can have big impacts. All three species of orangutan (Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli) are critically endangered.

Unfortunately, their habitat is continually declining both in quantity and quality. This includes direct reduction of available habitat through deforestation as well as degradation of remaining habitat by things like pollution and fragmentation. Additionally, the consequences of habitat loss lead to other challenges like when orangutans eat the crops local communities rely on for sustenance and economic opportunities.

If this situation doesn’t improve soon, orangutans could be extinct in the wild within the next 10-20 years. Habitat loss can be caused by many factors, and any or all of them contribute to the decline of orangutan populations.

Palm Oil

The single greatest threat facing wild orangutans today is the rapidly expanding palm oil industry.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the African oil palm tree. Millions of acres of rainforest in Borneo and Sumatra are cut down each year to create more oil palm plantations. After first logging tracts of rainforest (thereby getting an initial cash infusion from selling the decimated timber), palm oil companies often use uncontrolled burning to clear the land for their crop.

Palm oil is now the most widely produced edible oil, and is found in a huge variety of common household products, from foods to cosmetics to bath products to candy. The increased demand for palm oil is fueling accelerated destruction of the rainforest habitat of orangutans, pushing these already endangered apes even closer to extinction and at an ever faster rate.

Fires

Indonesia has rich forests which unfortunately are being clear-cut for the timber industry, much of it done illegally. Though Indonesia is rich in biodiversity, it unfortunately has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world.

Compounding this problem is the use of fire to help demolish the existing forests. Land is often cleared for crops, including palm oil, by setting fire to the forests.

These fires often spread out of control, covering the country in a thick haze of smog that not only threatens the health and safety of people that live in the country, but also the wild orangutans and the orangutans that also reside in local sanctuaries. The fires emit greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. The country is a large contributor to carbon emissions, further contributing to climate change.

Mining

Another major cause of orangutan habitat loss, and other forest dwelling animals’ habitat, is the mining industry. Due to rich mineral resources, Indonesia mines tin, natural gas, coal, gold, nickel, and copper. To mine the mineral resources, large equipment creates enormous craters into the earth.

Not only does creating the mines result in the loss of orangutan habitat, but the exportation of the minerals also creates more problems for the ecosystems. Roads leading to the mines further dissect the habitat and cause orangutan habitat fragmentation, isolating orangutan populations from one another. Improved access to remote areas leads to easier access to orangutans for poaching or the illegal pet trade. All in all, the factors that contribute to habitat loss are plentiful, and all are equally detrimental to the survival of all three orangutan species in the wild.

Habitat Fragmentation

Fragmented orangutan populations can be caused by several reasons, roads, fires, and development, just to name a few. These smaller isolated groups of orangutans lead to less genetic diversity in the already critically endangered populations. These smaller populations can also become more susceptible to environmental risks. Human-orangutan conflict can increase as orangutan populations become fragmented.

Orangutans may need to traverse over manmade cleared areas to reach their own natural food sources, or raid crops when their own food sources are depleted. This puts them in harm’s way to be shot at farmers who are concerned for their source of income.

Rescue & Rehabilitation

Orangutans are native to only two countries in the world, Malaysia and Indonesia. In Indonesia and Malaysia it is against the law to keep orangutans as pets or in captivity. (Special exemptions are given to zoos and safari parks). Unfortunately, the ongoing massive deforestation in Indonesia, primarily due to the expansion of palm oil cultivation throughout the archipelago, is bringing orangutans to the brink of extinction. Not only are individual orangutans killed as agricultural pests but also local populations of wild orangutans are being extirpated as forests disappear leaving wildlife displaced and increasingly, in close proximity to humans.

In 2013 Orangutan Foundation International translocated 7 wild orangutans to safety and rescued over 15 infants from captivity. All of the infants entered the rehabilitation program at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine and joined the 320 orphan orangutans already resident there. Orangutan infants enter captivity primarily when their mothers are killed in palm oil plantations. The infants, cute and appealing, are taken off their mothers bodies and sold as pets on the black market. This is highly illegal and not as common as it used to be but, unfortunately, still not unusual in Kalimantan.

Orangutan rescues occur in a variety of ways. First, the PHKA (Nature Conservation and Forest Protection) branch of the Forestry Department confiscates captive orangutans from private owners. Second, local people, increasingly aware that it is illegal to own orangutans as pets, bring their orangutans to OCCQ in order to avoid run-ins with the law, especially after they are contacted by OFI directly. Occasionally, a woman (or her husband) will bring in a juvenile orangutan because it is too much trouble for the woman to take care of the orangutan pet now that he/she is no longer an infant.

Finally, OFI works with local government officials, including the police, to confiscate orangutans directly from owners. This is always done as politely as possible with owners getting educational materials about orangutan and forest conservation from OFI. Government officials are usually reluctant to arrest owners if this is a first violation. Nonetheless, it is made clear to owners that it is illegal to keep orangutans as pets and owners are breaking the law. To avoid arrest, owners often have to sign documents pledging never to keep protected wildlife as pets ever again. Regardless, some owners still have to be threatened with arrest before they give up their orangutan pets. Once the process is complete, owners and their children receive an open-ended invitation to check in on their former pets in their new home at the OCCQ. Of the few that do, all are invariably satisfied that their former pets are better off at the OCCQ. Being kept as a pet, an orangutan’s chances of survival are slim. Out of the hundreds of pet orangutans OFI ever encountered in Kalimantan, there was only one who had survived into adulthood while in the care of his owners. He was a large adult male paralysed from the waist down.

Jungle School

This 10 episode series will take viewers on a roller coaster ride of the adventures, trials and tribulations, heartaches, fun, friends, failures and successes of all the orangutans who attend the BOS Foundation’s unique school in a Borneo jungle in Central Kalimantan Indonesia. They are all orphans and are learning skills that one day will enable them to live once again in a true wilderness.

With their rainforest habitat being destroyed by deforestation at an alarming rate there are currently over 300 students going through the school system divided up to suit the age and skill range from babies just a few weeks old, to teenagers and young adults.

Through their lessons in baby nursery, forest school and the island “university” all these youngsters are adapting to the challenges of being taught survival skills by humans as they also deal with the ever-increasing social pressures of life in a tightly-knit community which could determine the future of their species.

This incredible show has it all: friendship, romance, bullies, danger, drama, raging hormones, fear, humour, medical emergencies, heartache, rescues, reunions, attempted escapes, and even teenage pregnancy! And of course most importantly – actual release for graduates – back into the wild.

You’ve experienced it in your own lives. Now see it play out in the real lives of these orphaned orangutans… many of whom will steal your heart!

The stakes are super high for all these orangutans with traumatic pasts

Meet Beni

The world fell in love with Beni, an orangutan full of endless antics, when he was introduced on the hit series, Orangutan Jungle School. Audiences laughed as Beni played jokes on his friends. They sympathized as he suffered through a diet and begged for milk. Everyone rooted for Beni when he found a mountain of bananas! Well-wishes poured in from around the world if Beni was sick and when he was recovering from a broken leg. Yes, EVERYONE LOVES BENI!

Beni is cared for by Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) at their Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Central Kalimantan. As you've heard so many times, Beni’s story began with a rescue…

On April 8, 2016, the BOSF team rescued a 2-year old male orangutan in Mangkatip Village. The local residents reported that they had seen the baby orangutan by himself, climbing a local telecommunication tower. They stated that they knew they must intervene so they acted to catch the orangutan in a sack and brought him to the local police station.

When the BOSF rescue team arrived, they found a tiny orangutan being kept inside a cage in front of the subdistrict office. He weighed only 4.3 kg - underweight for his age. In addition to being thin, he was also suffering from severe dehydration, worm infections, fever, and knotted hair. As he was never kept as a pet, he was still displaying natural behaviors and acting as a wild orangutan.

Shortly after his arrival at the Nyaru Menteng center, the small baby orangutan was given the name Beni. Over 4 years later, Beni is no longer a tiny orangutan! He is actually larger than the other 6-year-olds at the centre! Throughout his rehabilitation process he grew incredibly quickly. We all now know him for his size and adorable personality. Yup, he's the one and only Big Boy Beni! In 2019 Beni graduated from forest school after learning the skills that will support him on his journey back to the wild as an independent individual. We’ve got BIG news to share with you: Beni is ready for his next step in his journey towards freedom: to move to a cage-free forested island home on Salat Island. Beni holds a special place in all our hearts, and like you, we want to see him on the island, where he can experience a whole new side of life in the forest.

How Can You Help?

Know your products

Palm oil is ubiquitous, and it goes by many names – palm kernel oil, palmitate, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, to name only a few – so it can be challenging to even identify which products include the oil. This graphic shows some of the names to look for on product labels to identify palm oil in the things you buy.

The way palm oil is grown makes all the difference: Palm oil plantations and mills that are certified as sustainable by theRoundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have met many criteria to achieve certification. Palm oil plantations and mills that are not certified as sustainable by the RSPO do not have to adhere to RSPO regulations. Therefore, consumers can’t be sure whether or not the palm oil coming from non-RSPO producers has harmed native wildlife, violated the rights of indigenous people, or had other negative environmental impacts.

Indonesia is facing the highest rate of tropical rain forest loss in the world. There are millions of acres of degraded land available that could be used for palm oil plantations. Instead, many companies choose to use high conservation value rainforests in order to gain the additional timber profits.

An easy way to find out whether or not the products you buy are orangutan-friendly is to download the FREE smartphone app from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The app includes more than 5,000 products whose manufacturers are certified by the RSPO. Purchasing products from these companies helps save orangutan habitat and lives!

Adopt an Orangutan!

When you choose a symbolic animal adoption, you generously support WWF’s global conservation efforts. Every donation helps save endangered wildlife, protect fragile ecosystems, and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

For more than 60 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. WWF works in nearly 100 countries and is supported by 1.3 million members in the United States and more than 5 million members globally. Your donation provides general support and makes you a member. 83% of spending is directed to worldwide conservation activities.

World Wildlife Fund Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 52-1693387) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

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