Orangutans Need Rainforests

Common Name: Orang-utan

Scientific Name:  Pongo abelii

Status: IUCN Red List them as Critically Endangered

Population: 14,600 in the wild.

Population Trend: Steep population decline.

There are three genetically distinct species: the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis). The three species look slightly different.  The Bornean orang-utan is estimated about 104,700 and is rated Endangered.  In November 2017 the Tapanuli Orangutan was announced, it is the most endangered great ape in the world, fewer than 800 individuals remaining in the wild and are found only within the forests of the Batang Toru ecosystem in the Tapanuli highlands of North Sumatra, which also hosts many other rare and threatened species, including Sumatran tigers, pangolins, sun bears and helmeted hornbills.

Weight: 48 – 130kg

Height: 1.2 to 1.5m

Life Span: Females live to 44 -53 years in the wild.  Males 47 – 58 years. In captivity:  60 years or more.

Gestation: About 8.5 months

Females first reproduce between 10-15 years of age. Orangutans breed more slowly than any other primate and give birth about once every 5 years.  The interval between babies can be as long as 10 years. The number of young is usually 1, very rarely 2 and weight at birth is approximately 3 ½ lbs. Orangutans are the slowest breeding of all mammals, with mothers caring for their young for up to 7 years. With such a low reproductive rate, even a small decrease in numbers can lead to extinction.  Experts estimate that even as little as 1% of females lost each year through hunting or other unnatural causes could put a population on an irreversible trajectory to extinction.

Habitat: Montane forest, peat swamps, lowland hills and rainforests,  tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. Orangutans inhabit lowland tropical rainforests and swamps up to 800m above sea level. They are almost exclusively arboreal unlike the Bornean orangutans who travel on the ground more often.

Diet: Comprises of young leaves and shoots, insects, soil, tree bark, woody lianas, and occasionally eggs and small vertebrates, bark, leaves, seeds, flowers, a variety of insects, infrequently the meat of slow Loris. (A tailless or short-tailed primate of South and Southeast Asian). Most importantly the diet consists of over 300 kinds of fruit, 60% which includes durians, jackfruit, lycees, mangosteens, mangoes and figs.  They obtain water not only from fruit, but also from tree holes. Mothers must teach the babies what food to eat, where to find that food, in which trees and during which seasons. 

Behaviour: Diurnal, arboreal.

Social System: Orangutans are a semi-solitary species. Orangutans also differ from the other Great Apes in that they do not live in family groups. The largest family unit is a female and two offspring, and males and females usually meet up only to breed.  The relationship between a mother and her child lasts for many years, but the time spent with other orangutans is limited. Once adolescent orangutans become independent, they will be alone or in the company of other immature orangutans. In the case of females, they frequently return to their mothers to ‘visit’ until they are about 15-16 years old.

Cause of Decline: Burning of forests to make way for plantations to support the world's demand for palm oil.  In just 25 years, more than a quarter of Indonesia's forests – 76 million acres have disappeared.  The impacts of habitat destruction, addition to other threats such as poaching and wild fires, are detrimental to the population of the Sumatran orangutan.

Is there Still Hope? On the edge of extinction - Orangutans in Sumatra are under immense threat.  The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) was once distributed over the entire island of Sumatra and further south into Java it is now restricted to the north of the island.  Of the nine existing populations only seven have prospects of long term viability. A century ago, more than 230,000 orangutans roamed in the wild.

Orangutan’s rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate. They are being torn down due to palm oil plantations, timber, farming, mining and roads. The populations of Orangutans are fragmented and isolated as roads and plantations are built. The Sumatran Orangutan is almost exclusively arboreal so very little habitat is left for these groups of populations.  The relentless destruction of Sumatra’s rainforests has pushed the Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans to the edge of extinction. Orangutans were once found in forests across Sumatra but now only survive in two provinces: North Sumatra and Aceh. The Leuser Ecosystem is the last stronghold for the species.

Forests in Sumatra are under immense threat. Orangutan populations are fragmented and isolated as roads and plantations divide up the forest. This makes them easy targets for poaching for the illegal pet trade, and causes conflict with local communities when the stranded and starving apes are forced to resort to raiding crops.  They are an easy target for hunters because they're large and slow targets. This usually occurs when orangutans can't find the food they need in the forest.  Females are hunted most often. When caught with offspring, the young are often kept as pets. The pet trade is a major problem.

So what is being done to protect the Sumatran Orangutans?

The Indonesian island of Sumatra is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.  Between 1985 and 2008, about 60% of the Sumatra orangutan's habitat was deforested. While a great amount of the land inhabited by the Sumatran orangutan is protected high levels of habitat conversion still occur both legally and illegally in and around the species population.

The Nationally Protected Leuser Ecosystem is the last place on Earth where elephants, rhinos, orangutans and tigers still co-exist in the wild. All four iconic species are now classified as Critically Endangered. The Leuser Ecosystem spans 2.6 million hectares (6 million acres), almost three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Its diverse landscape includes lowland and montane rainforests, nine rivers, three lakes, and over 185,000 hectares of carbon-rich peat lands. One of the last remaining intact rainforests in all of Indonesia, it is a crucial source of clean drinking water and agricultural livelihoods for over four million people.

In Indonesia, most of the forest is owned by the government and is leased out to companies as long-term “concessions.” These concessions allow companies to legally clear forests for activities like logging, mining and industrial agriculture.

The survival of orangutans is now at a serious tipping point. The local government of Aceh province is pushing through a plan which will open up much of this highly sensitive ecosystem for yet more plantations, logging, mining, energy developments and road construction. This plan ignores the nationally protected status of the Leuser Ecosystem, the acute risk of extinction for its biodiversity and the welfare of the human communities surrounding and depending on it. 

Another intact strand of forest still-intact in Sumatra is Thirty Hills, the reason it’s been left alone is that it’s hilly and less desirable for both commercial paper companies as well as illegal loggers since it’s difficult to get to. It’s also the least desirable to elephants and other wildlife that also prefer flat areas.   But as the forest disappears elsewhere in Sumatra, more and more biodiversity is moving into Thirty Hills, and there’s more demand for its resources.  The joint initiative of Thirty Hills ensures that some of the last unprotected lowland tropical forest in central Sumatra is formally zoned for restoration rather than clearing, and provides conservation groups with a 60-year license to manage the area.

Parts of Thirty Hills were rezoned as a conservation concession and a commercial business was created, 100,000 acres of tropical rainforest as an “ecosystem restoration concession.” It is connected to the national park, and they total about 25 percent of the park’s acreage. The business pays taxes on the concession just as a logging company would.  The Thirty Hills Company have the responsibility to manage and protect it for at least 60 years.   Just like a logging company, this new company has to protect its forest from illegal loggers and other threats. The company will hire anti-poaching patrols and forest protection monitoring groups, and plans to fly small conservation drones over the landscape to keep an eye out for poaching and illegal logging. 

There are more than 160 orangutans there now; most of those have been reintroduced, and a few were born there to reintroduced apes. They’re thriving; they’re breeding and establishing territories.  Also more than 120 elephants and about 30 tigers are believed to be in Thirty Hills, which is close to 10 percent of the Sumatran tiger population. As Sumatra continues to be converted into commercial plantations and other uses, Thirty Hills is an important last refuge for these endangered species in central Sumatra.  The area is also home to two forest-dwelling indigenous groups. Some areas will be set aside to help them improve their livelihoods.

An ambitious project combining innovative financing approaches with traditional conservation, WWF, the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and The Orangutan Project (TOP) will join forces with local communities to actively manage the former logging forest, known as Bukit Tigapuluh (or Thirty Hills), to protect rather than exploit the land’s natural resources.

WWF-Indonesia and Michelin are partnering in Thirty Hills on sustainable rubber production and reducing human-elephant conflict on a Michelin rubber plantation. FZS is working with local communities to enlist them as partners, and one of the early champions of the project, the Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation, has provided funding and advocacy support since 2010 to WWF and its partners.

These great apes share 96.4% of our genes and are highly intelligent creatures.

SOME ORGANISATIONS WORKING FOR THE CONSERVATION FOR THE ORANGUTAN IN THE WILD

Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program - This orangutan-centered organization specializes in the Sumatran orangutan.  Protecting existing populations through conservation efforts, SOCP also works to rehabilitate confiscated orangutans that had been illegally kept as pets, and work to educate the public on animal welfare, and sustainable development.

Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) - Is committed to preserving  biological diversity in the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth.   

The Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) - Is a direct-action group of Indonesian people who campaign to bring an urgent end to the destruction of Indonesian rainforest and the killing of orangutans.

The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) - Founded in 2020 is a collaborative initiative between the Indonesia-based NGO the Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL; Sustainable Ecosystem Foundation), Swiss-based NGO the PanEco Foundation, and the Indonesian Government’s Directorate General of Natural Resource and Ecosystem Conservation. The SOCP works on all aspects of conservation of the Critically Endangered Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis).

WWF  - works with other organizations to stop Asia Pulp and Paper/ Sinar Mas Group from clearing the largest portion of natural forest remaining outside the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park.  WWF also works with Indonesian non-governmental organizations to mitigate human-orangutan conflict in and around palm oil plantations.

WWF works with TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, to help governments enforce restrictions on the trade in live animals and orangutan products. They also help to rescue trafficked orangutans, which recover in refuges and are eventually released back into the wild.

The Orang-utan Project - The Orangutan Project (TOP) raises funds to support the conservation and protection of orangutans supporting a range of other organisations working in the field and the preservation and rehabilitation of their forest habitats, which are primarily located in Indonesia.

Sumatran Tiger

CAPTIVITY - WORKING AGAINST THE ODDS

. Sumatran Tiger - panthera tigris sumatrae

. Critically Endangered ( population decreasing)

. In 2017 IUCN revised two subspecies recognized

- Panthera tigris sondaica (Javan and Balinese NOW EXTINCT last sighted 1976, Bali even earlier 1940s). Panthera tigris sumatrae.

 - Panthea tigris tigris - Bengal (endangered), Malayan (critically endangered), Indochinese (endangered/ critically endangered 2008 - considered extinct in Cambodia), South Chinese (critically endangered/ functionally extinct), Siberian (endangered), Caspian tiger (extinct early 1970s) populations.

 Only the Sumatran tigers remain in Indonesia.

 This tiger subspecies is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra with less than 400 Sumatran tigers existing today in the wild with sub populations no larger than 50 individuals. Experts estimated in 1978 that the population was 1,000. The island of Sumatra is the only place where tigers, rhinos, orangutans and elephants live together. So the tiger is an important indicator of the forest's bio-diversity.

 Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving subspecies and distinguished by striking orange fur with stripes that are narrower than other species and have larger manes and slightly webbed feet which allow them to swim more efficiently. They generally hunt at dusk and can travel up to 20km in one night in search of food. They depend on camouflage to ambush their prey. The tiger's roar can be heard up to 3km away and they can swim up to 6km and jump over 5 meters in length.

 Weight: Females up to 90kg Males up to 120kg

Life Span: in the wild 10 -15 years

in captivity 16 - 20 years

 Size: 1.4 to 2.8 meters

 Top Speed: 96km

 Prey: wild pig, deer and other small animals

 Habitat: tropical broadleaf evergreen forests, fresh water swamp forests and peat swamps.

Gestation period: 3 - 4 months up to 5 cubs which weigh about 1kg at birth and are blind and helpless, they are raised by their mother until about 18 months old.

 Solitary

 Poached: for skin, bones, canines, for status symbols and traditional Eastern medicines.

 Cause of Decline: Poaching, habitat loss - oil palm, coffee, acacia plantations, small holder encroachment.

 There remains a substantial market in Sumatra and the rest of Asia for tiger parts and products with no sign of decreasing. Accelerated deforestation and rainforest poaching mean that the Sumatran tiger could become extinct like the Javan and Balinese tigers.

 Because of hunting, poaching and the loss of habitat, zoos and wildlife reserves play a vital role for the tiger's survival by captive breeding programs. Most tigers of Sumatra are killed for commercial gain. According to 'TRAFFIC' (the global wildlife trade monitoring network) poaching for trade is responsible for over 78% of estimated Sumatran tiger deaths - amounting to at least 40 animals per year.

 One argument put forward is that captive breeding programs are doomed to failure and saving the animal's natural habitat is the solution. That genetic diversity of 90% over 100 years is not going to be maintainable. (measurement used to assess if a program is workable).

 Zoo programs inspire people to contribute to conservation programs in the wild and bring awareness to their plight. Zoos contribute huge amounts of money to tiger conservation and habitat preservation and conservation programs in the field. But environmental destruction and poachers leave very little suitable habitat for released tigers at the moment.

 FFI is conserving tigers and other threatened wildlife in three Sumatran landscapes - Ache, Riau, Kerina Seblat National Park these contain more than 60% of wild Sumatran tigers.

 Kerina Seblat National Park was one of the few protected areas where, park wide tiger records stabilized during 2007 - 2011 and began to increase. Sadly in 2013 - 2015 because of illegal wildlife trade syndicates there was a decline. This has been targeted by intelligence led law enforcement, leading to hope of recovery. Since Jan 2016, 15 tiger poachers and traders have been arrested and prosecuted and jailed.

 SOME GROUPS WORKING FOR SURVIVAL OF THE SUMATRAN TIGER

 Australia Zoo - Wildlife Warriors

DWF Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation

Taronga Conservation Society Australia

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

WWF World Wildlife Org & * WWF Australia

FFI Fauna and Flora International

Tiger GSC Global Conservation Strategies

 Extinction of Animals

 More than 99% of all species, over 5 billion species that ever lived on earth are estimated to have died out. Current estimates range from 10 million to 14 million of which 1.2 million have been documented and over 88% have not yet been described.

 * Australia has already lost more mammal species in the last 200 years than any other country in the world combined. Koalas are declining at the rate of 21% per decade - WWF Australia.