Written by Sophie Kirklin (BNF’s Orangutan Scientist)
In orangutan caring week, we remind ourselves why we care about our orange relatives and why it is so important that we do! To us at BNF, it seems like there are endless reasons, but here are a few of the top of our heads:
Conservation – To preserve orangutan’s habitat we need to be pro-active, whether it be reducing our palm oil consumption, using FSC approved wood products or helping to educate others and encouraging them to do the same. It is only by caring about orang-utans and the other amazing animals that share their home that we can implement and inspire change!
They are endangered – In 2016 orangutans were reclassified by the IUCN as critically endangered. They are more vulnerable than ever and need us to care about protecting them.
Photo by Sophie Kirklin
They are interesting! – Orangutans display some incredible behaviours, and new discoveries are always being made. A new species of orangutan has discovered just a few weeks ago! By researching wild orangutans, like we do here at BNF, we can learn about how they naturally behave in the wild, and ultimately this will feed into our implementation of conservation strategies aimed at protecting orangutans, and allowing them to safely remain in their natural habitat.
They are so similar to humans – Orangutans are apes, just like us. Although they are the most distantly related to us, of the Great Apes, there are still only about 14 million years that separate us. In Evolutionary terms, this is a split second. When you look into the eyes of an orangutan it can be even harder to put your finger on exactly what it is that separates them and us.
They are cute – If the reasons above weren’t already enough, orangutans are cute, beautiful and impressive. Their appearance, behaviour and general demeanour are just lovely.
Orangutans need and deserve our support and care, and this means supporting them in the wild and looking for and striving towards ways to make them less vulnerable to the impacts of humans. The orangutan team here care hugely about the orangutans in Sabangau that we study and about all orang-utans, and we hope that this article has shed some light on why.
What better time to announce the birth of a new orangutan baby in Sabangau! This tiny bundle is less than a month old, and is still too small and protected by its mother, Feb, to tell if it is a boy or a girl. We are overjoyed at the arrival of this new member of Feb’s family and addition to the Sabangau population. Every little count!
