Orangutan

We live in an age of wondrous technical advances, we are living longer heather lives, many would claim we are happier today than ever, however, there is a darkening cloud on the near horizon. Our planets rich biodiversity is under threat from global warming and our most precious wildlife is under threat. Such is not news to any of us, nevertheless, whilst the scale of the problem is daunting, many of the solutions rely on small acts that each of us can take if we chose to play our role in redressing the balance. We can act to help our natural world before it's too late.

I am not an environmentalist, in the sense that I don't expect to give up my foreign holidays or wear cloths made from recycled cardboard, but I am concerned when I see senseless destruction of great swaths of tropical rainforest to plant palm oil. I admit, I don't drive an electric car and I do eat meat, but I don't want the 'freedom' to have the severed hand of a great ape as a desk souvenir. I try to recycle, but I am sure I waste and consume more than I should, but I don't want large industrial conglomerates to put at risk whole species in pursuit of extreme profit.

If we cannot learn how to sustainably share our planet with all the diverse life, we will lose much, particularly if and when the loss is a large animal, it is not 'just' the animal we lose, but surly also part of our humanity.        

Of the four great Apes, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans, only the Orangutan is exclusively found in Asia, (the others all come from Africa). Orangutans are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, the indigenous people call this ape Orang Hutan literally translating into English as People of the Forest.  This most fabulous of creatures, that are among the most intelligent of Primates and is the largest living arboreal animal, is close to extinction, today only living naturally in the rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Unless the world acts to maintain and protect its dwindling habitat and stop illegal hunting the Orangutan will be lost to future generations. There are only two surviving Orangutan species; the Borneon Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus) which is classed by the 'International Union for Conservation of Nature' (IUCN) as endangered, and the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) which the IUCN classes as in critical danger of extinction.

Orangutan's are immediately recognizable as part of the Ape family but their reddish-brown hair and very long arms distinguish them from their African cousins. The gentle red ape demonstrates significant intelligence, with an ability to reason and think; being able to use a variety of 'tools' and is one of our closest relatives, sharing 97% of the same DNA as humans. Recent studies by James Lee, a Harvard University psychologist, concluded that, orangutans are the world's most intelligent animal other than man. The Dutch primatologist, Carel van Schaik, (Duke University, USA) found orang-utans had the ability to use leaves to make rain hats and leak proof roofs over their sleeping nests. Further van Schaik discovered that, in some food-rich areas, orangutans had developed a complex culture in which adults would teach youngsters how to make tools and find food. All these behaviours and abilities require intelligence well beyond that exhibited by chimpanzees.

As their habitat is destroyed for illegal logging and to expand palm oil plantations, scientists now warn that, the intelligent mammal could become the first great ape to become extinct. Exact numbers difficult to calculate, however, it was estimated in 2008 that the number of orangutans on Sumatra island in Indonesia has fallen by 14 per cent since 2004 to only 6,600 animals. In Malaysia's Borneo island, the largest home of the species, numbers fell by 10 per cent in the same period to 49,600 apes. Whilst, much of the cause of the decline is the destruction of the natural habitat, hunting has in the past and continues today to be a huge problem.

The issues are complex, farming in the region is hard and the human populations have expanded greatly in recent years putting great pressure on the natural resources. Government and NGO's have created a framework to protect parts of the remaining habitat, and efforts are gaining pace, nevertheless, the special interest groups are powerful and the illegal hunting community resilient to underfunded enforcement.

Orangutan populations are very slow to recover from disturbance, because, Orangutan females only give birth about once every 6-11 years - the longest time between births of any mammal on earth. (This results in only 4 to 5 babies in her lifetime.)  Further, orangutan's have the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any animal in the world. The babies nurse until they are about six years of age. The young males may stay close by their mothers for a few more years but the females may stay until they are into their teens, allowing them to observe mothering skills as they watch their younger siblings being raised by the mother. Consequently, the death of a female adult would without intervention cause the young Orangutan to be lost, unable to look after itself in the wild.

Intervention and protection of the Orangutan natural habitat is essential if the species is to survive, and we at Afterabc are keen to assist those groups and organisations that are striving to protect and nurture these wondrous animals.

In early 2011, we will formally announce our plan to support orangutans and how you might join with us in offering help to the great Orange Asian Ape. 

November 19, 2010  |  Article Posted By: Administrator 1 , London
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