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The Orang Utan is one of the world's largest primates, natively found in the tropical jungles of Borneo and Sumatra in the south east Asia.
For many years now there have been great concerns about the population of the wild Orang Utan with only 50,000 thought to be left roaming the exotic rainforests today, meaning that the Orang Utan is currently critically endangered and on the verge of extinction.
The Indonesian forests have been systematically cleared to make way for the ever increasing palm oil trade that is now crucial to the economic stability of the country's that produce it. At this rate it is thought that the Orang Utan will have completely disappeared from the wild in the next 10 years and it is only a matter of time before the captive Orang Utan population diminishes completely too.
Palm Oil Plantation
Baby Orang Utan
There are a number of small organisations that work incredibly hard to conserve this peaceful giant with their work being undone by humans that are both clearing the jungles to produce the palm oil and those that are buying the products that use it.
For more information on Orang Utan conservation and about the palm oil trade please see:
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