World Orangutan Day: Protecting the forest guardians

Every year on August 19th, conservationists, environmentalists and animal lovers meet to observe World Orangutan Day. The world comes together to raise awareness about the plight of the orangutans, which are among the most intelligent apes on earth, and share about 97% of their DNA with humans. But the survival of this species perturbs the whole of humanity.

Our ‘Old Man of Jungle’

The orangutan is derived from the Malay words orang, meaning “person”, and hutan, meaning “forest”, and belongs to the genus Pongo. The orangutan species are divided into three sub species - Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus), the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii) and the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis). Orangutans are considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN. Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They use sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests from branches and foliage in the forest each night. The orangutans display significant sexual dimorphism - males weigh up to 75kgs and stand 4ft6in tall and females weigh up to 37kgs and stand 3ft9in tall.

Ecology of Orangutans

The Orangutans mainly inhabit tropical rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and some parts of Borneo and Sumatra islands. They spend most of the day resting, feeding, and traveling. Tigers, clouded leopards, and wild dogs are potential predators of Orangutans.

The predicament of Orangutans

Over the last few decades, the population of orangutans in the wild have plummeted. The orangutans frequently encounter threat of poaching, deforestation, logging, pet trade, and fragmentation by roads in the forests. Orangutans are often killed for bush meat trade which is notable in Southeast Asian rainforests.

The Fight to Save Orangutan

Orangutan conservation is crucial for protecting one of our closest animal relatives, which are critically endangered due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, and the pet trade. Efforts focus on habitat protection, rescue and rehabilitation, anti-poaching, and community engagement.

Habitat protection is vital as deforestation, driven by palm oil plantations in southeast Asia, and, logging, continues to destroy orangutan forests. Conservation organizations work to secure and restore these habitats through reforestation projects, creating safe spaces for orangutans.Rescue and conservation programs like Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) International Animal Rescue (IAR), The Orangutan Project (TOP), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Hutan-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (KOCP), Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP) are key, saving thousands of orangutans from captivity or conflict zones. Many rehabilitated orangutans are successfully reintroduced into the wild, helping stabilize their populations.

Anti-poaching efforts involve collaboration with local authorities to enforce wildlife protection laws, forest patrols, and dismantling of illegal traps. Education campaigns in local communities also help reduce poaching and human-wildlife conflicts

World Orangutan Day is more than just a day of recognition; it is a call to action to protect one of the closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Our commitment to conservation, sustainable practices, and global awareness will determine whether orangutans endure for generations to come. Let World Orangutan Day inspire us to take meaningful steps toward a future where humans and orangutans coexist in harmony, preserving the beauty and balance of our natural world.