how many orangutans have died due to deforestation

Full Answer

How much of the orangutan habitat has been lost?

Deforestation Orangutans have lost over 80% of their habitatthat they live in within the last 20 years. Researchers also estimate that ⅓ of the wild orangutan population died in the fires in Indonesia during 1997 to 1998.

How is palm oil deforestation affecting orangutans?

Each year, the orangutan population worldwide decreases in frightening amounts. Palm oil deforestation and the population loss for the already endangered orangutans is a startling cause-and-effect in the environment. What Is Palm Oil?

Will Borneo's orangutans become extinct?

Orangutans are "highly likely" to become extinct if current trends continue, according to a study released Friday which found that the apes' population in Borneo had plunged by more than 100,000 in 16 years. The region's orangutans live exclusively on Sumatra and Borneo.

How many Sumatran orangutans are there in the wild?

Only about 7,500 Sumatran orangutans exist in the wild. Sumatran rhinos were once widespread in Borneo, but now are only found in the northeast state of Sabah, in Malaysia. A 2005 survey found evidence of at least 13 rhinos in the area; current estimates place their total population at fewer than 25.

How many orangutans are affected by deforestation?

Deforestation in Borneo will destroy the habitat of more than 26,000 orangutans, a quarter of the population of the critically endangered species, by 2032, a new study says.

What percentage of orangutans have died?

Economic crisis combined with natural disasters and human abuse of the forest are pushing one of humankind's closest cousins to extinction. Orangutans have lost well over 80% of their habitat in the last 20 years, and an estimated one-third of the wild population died during the fires of 1997-98.

How many orangutans have died?

Nearly 150,000 Bornean Orangutans Lost Since 1999, Cutting Population By Half. More than 40,000 more could be lost in the next 35 years. Earlier this month, an orangutan was found brutally shot to death in Borneo. In January, one was found decapitated and floating in a river.

How many orangutans were there 100 years ago?

315,000 orangutans100 years ago there were thought to be 315,000 orangutans in the wild. There are now less than 14,600 left in Sumatra, and less than 54,000 in Borneo. There are only 800 Tapanuli orangutans left, making them the most endangered Great Ape species in the world.

How many orangutan are killed a year?

While exact orangutan population counts are always a challenge – various estimates put current counts at between 50,000-65,000 orangutans left in the wild – we do know with certainty that 2,000 to 3,000 orangutans are killed every year.

How many orangutans left 2022?

9 July 2022 There are estimated to be just 100,000 Bornean orangutans left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, with more than half the population having been wiped out over the past 60 years.

How many orangutans were there 10 years ago?

That's just 104,700 Bornean orangutans in the wild, compared to 230,000 a decade ago.

Why are orangutans dying?

The habitats of Asia's only great apes are fast disappearing under the chainsaw to make way for oil palm plantations and other agricultural plantations. Illegal logging inside protected areas and unsustainable logging in concessions where orangutans live remains a major threat to their survival.

What are killing orangutans?

Killing time It has been widely assumed that the main threat to Bornean orangutans is the destruction of their forest habitat, due to deforestation and the expansion of oil palm plantations.

What is the smartest great ape?

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. The apes' learning abilities have been studied extensively. There may be distinctive cultures within populations.

Are orangutans friendly?

Orangutans are generally non-aggressive toward humans and each other. Many individuals reintroduced into the wild after having been in managed care are aggressive towards humans. Male-male competition for mates and territory has been observed between adults.

Do orangutans eat meat?

Most of their diet consists of fruit and leaves gathered from rain forest trees. They also eat bark, insects and, on rare occasions, meat.

How many orangutans were there 10 years ago?

That's just 104,700 Bornean orangutans in the wild, compared to 230,000 a decade ago.

How many orangutans do we lose a day?

Orangutan population falls by 25 every day — and food we eat is to blame - Mirror Online. Got A Story?

How many orangutans are alive today?

A century ago there were probably more than 230,000 orangutans in total, but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated at about 104,700 based on updated geographic range (Endangered) and the Sumatran about 7,500 (Critically Endangered). A third species of orangutan was announced in November, 2017.

What animal is nearly extinct?

1. Vaquita. The vaquita is both the smallest and the most endangered marine mammal in the world. It has been classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN since 1996, and in 2018, there were only around 6 to 22 vaquitas left.

Why are orangutans killed?

Orangutans are also killed for the illegal wildlife trade. Poachers kill the mothers and then sell their babies as pets. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there may be more (pet) orangutans per square-mile in Taipei, Taiwan than in the wild.

How many orangutans are there in the world?

The non-profit Orangutan Conservancy estimates that 54,000 Bornean orangutans and only 6,600 Sumatran orang utans remain in the wild.

Why do poachers kill orangutans?

Poachers are also killing orangutans for food for the so-called bush meat trade. According to the Orangutan Conservancy, the fact that many Indonesian logging companies do not provide food for their workers exacerbates this problem. “Hundreds of loggers are employed to cut down a particular area of forest, and they have to find food for themselves,” says the Conservancy. “The loggers, along with settlers who establish communities in the forest, hunt orangs, birds, and small mammals the orangs eat.”

How many hectares of palms are there in Indonesia?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reports that over the last four decades, the total land area planted with oil palm in Indonesia has grown some 30-fold to over three million hectare s, while in Malaysia, oil palm agriculture has increased 12-fold to 3.5 million hectares.

Is deforestation a threat to the orangutan?

Deforestation is indeed the primary threat to the orangutan, a species of great ape known for its keen intelligence and the fact that it’s the largest animal to live primarily in trees. A 2007 assessment by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predicts that orangutans will be virtually eliminated in the wild within two decades if current deforestation trends continue. The great reddish-brown apes are native to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, which are being cut down rapidly (and in many cases, illegally) to make way for agriculture and other development.

How many orangutans are killed by burning the forest?

Burning the forests kills thousands of orangutans every year and once exposed, they are more vulnerable and can easily get shot, especially if they are found in the palm oil plantation itself, caught searching for food among the farmers’ crops.

Why is deforestation a threat to orangutans?

Initially, the international demand for hardwood fuelled the growth in the industry and even today much of the wood product exports from Indonesia come from illegal sources.

How many orangutans will be lost in the next 35 years?

Deforestation alone, the researchers predict, could wipe out a further 45,000 orangutans over the next 35 years.

How many orangutans have been killed in Borneo?

More than 100,000 Critically Endangered orangutans have been killed in Borneo since 1999, research has revealed. Scientists who carried out a 16-year survey on the island described the figure as "mind-boggling". Deforestation, driven by logging, oil palm, mining and paper mills, continues to be the main culprit.

What is the cause of habitat loss?

The cultivation of oil palm, found in a wide variety of food products, is a well-known cause of that habitat loss.

What are the main causes of deforestation?

Deforestation, driven by logging, oil palm, mining and paper mills, continues to be the main culprit.

Do orangutans eat fruit?

Orangutans might eat farmers' fruit, but they are not dangerous.". Prof Wich called for leaders in Malaysia and Indonesia to speak out against this deliberate targeting of the apes. But the research also showed that natural resources were still being exploited in Borneo "at an unsustainable rate".

How many orangutans have died from palm oil deforestation?

An estimated 50,000 orangutans have died due to palm oil deforestation in the past 20 years with approximately 6-12 being killed each day. Many die during deforestation as a result of being crushed by logs and machinery. Others, however, die at the hands of poachers.

How long will orangutans be extinct?

With orangutans losing 80% of their natural habitat in the past 20 years, scientists estimate that the species could be extinct in the wild in as little as 25 years, if the destruction of their habitat due to palm oil plantations is not stopped.

What is the Orangutan Project?

Donate to The Orangutan Project which supports the rescue and rehabilitation of orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra.

Is palm oil deforestation bad?

Unfortunately, the clearing of land for palm oil plantations is having a wide range of negative effects on the local communities and environments. The United Nations Environment Program has declared palm oil the main driver of deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia.

How many orangutans died in Borneo?

Between 1999 and 2015 as many as 100,000 of the critically endangered orangutans perished on Borneo alone as a result of human activities, according to a recent study.

Where are orangutans found?

Orangutans are among the most iconic species on earth, yet like many animals these days they have been having it pretty bad in their native forests in Indonesia and Malaysia . An expert is now warning that unless their fast-diminishing habitats are better protected, the primates may go extinct within a decade in the wild.

How much forest has been cut down in Indonesia?

As much as 76 million acres of forest in Indonesia has been cut down in the past 25 years alone, accounting for a quarter of the country’s forests. Meanwhile, on the island of Borneo, which is shared by Indonesia and Malaysia, forest cover has likewise been reduced to a shadow of its former self.

Is the orangutan extinction?

Orangutans have been pushed to the “precipice of extinction,” warns Alan Knight, chief executive of the conservationist group International Animal Rescue. “If the current destruction of the rainforest continues, then I have absolutely no hope that any orangutans will remain in the wild,” Knight, whose organization runs a rescue center in Borneo, ...

How much of the orangutan habitat has been lost?

Deforestation. Orangutans have lost over 80% of their habitat that they live in within the last 20 years. Researchers also estimate that ⅓ of the wild orangutan population died in the fires in Indonesia during 1997 to 1998. The rapid loss of rainforest over the last few decades does not compare to the land being bulldozed for palm oil plantations ...

Where do orangutans live?

Orangutans once roamed over thousands of miles across the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Today, orangutans only live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Their home is in a beautiful, lush rainforest, and shared by many other endangered species, such as tigers, elephants, and rhinos.

How much of the rainforest has been destroyed in Indonesia?

Deforestation for Palm oil. Indonesia has lost nearly 100 million acres of the rainforest during the rainforest destruction that occurred during the leadership of Indonesia’s former president Suharto. Soon after Suharto’s reign ended in 1998, illegal logging of the forests grew even faster.

Where was the Sumatran Orangutan born?

Sumatran Orangutan Born at Animal Park in Belgium

When will Indonesia's rainforests be wiped out?

These researchers believe that at the current rate of rainforest destruction, these forests could be wiped out as soon as 2022.

Do orangutans need the same land?

This means that the needs of all of the many people within the little landmass are urgent, which means that there is little time for planning or care about the local environment. People and orangutans need the same land, and in this situation of human vs. orangutan, the orangutan does not win.

Why are orangutans declining?

Orangutan population plunges due to hunting and deforestation. Orangutan populations in Borneo are in steep decline and can not cope with with current levels of killing. Their jungle habitats are threatened by deforestation, driven by plam oil production. Orangutans are "highly likely" to become extinct if current trends continue, ...

How many orangutans are there in Borneo?

The researchers estimate Borneo's current orangutan population is between 75,000 and 100,000 — a decline of more than 50 percent since the start of the research period.

Why is there a moratorium on elephants?

WWF has said an immediate moratorium on the destruction of elephant habitat is needed to ensure the future of the species. The organization has called on the Indonesian government to work with conservation agencies and agro-forestry companies to come up with a conservation strategy, designate protected areas and link them together with conservation corridors.

What threatens jungle habitats?

Deforestation and hunting threaten jungle habitats. The widest study since 1999 was conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in the German city of Leipzig and other institutions.

What is the impact of forest fires on Sumatra?

Forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are having an impact on residents and animals alike. Authorities have distributed face masks to locals to protect them from the air pollution. But the damage to the island's unique biodiversity is also cause for concern. Sumatra's burning rainforests.

Where do orangutans live?

The region's orangutans, which live exclusively on Sumatra and Borneo, are perhaps the only ones who haven't yet been affected by the fires. Sumatra's orangutan population live in remote forests, far away from the areas that are currently burning.

How many fires are there in Sumatra?

Sumatra's burning rainforests. Over 300 fires in total. Satellite images from NASA reveal the sheer scale of the forest fires burning on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There are currently more than 330 fires raging in the eastern province of Riau alone.

Why are orangutans extinction?

The massive conversion of Borneo’s forests for the production palm oil together with the impact of climate change is driving to extinction the orangutan on Asia’s largest island, making it “clear that a future without sustainable development will be a future with a different climate and, eventually, without orangutans, one of our closest relatives,” a new United Nations report revealed today.

What are the threats to orangutans?

Orangutans face extinction on Borneo where deforestation is ‘simply unsustainable’ – UN. Burning rainforests on Borneo and Sumatra to make space for palm oil plantations is one of the greatest threats to orangutans.

How much of the forest will be lost in 2030?

The report goes on to say that if deforestation in the Southeast Asia continues, a staggering 75 per cent of the original forest cover will be lost by 2030.

How much of Borneo's rainforest is deforested?

Borneo’s deforestation rate has been among the world’s highest for over two decades and 56 per cent of the protected tropical lowland forests – an area roughly the size of Belgium – was lost between 1985 and 2001.

Where are orangutans native to?

While native to Indonesia and Malaysia, a century of deforestation, illegal logging, hunting and expansion of agro-industrial plantations, have combined to isolate orangutans to only the rainforests of Borneo – the world’s third largest island – and Sumatra, says UNEP.

Is land conversion in Borneo sustainable?

And the report’s lead author Dr. Serge Wich declared: “The current policies for land conversion on Borneo are simply unsustainable” not just for orangutans but for the human population as well.

Why is it important to save orangutans?

The race to save Indonesia’s orangutans is a challenge for Indonesia to balance its frenetic economic development with a dire need for conservation. Partnerships are essential to save Indonesia’s national gem, as well as the other hundreds of species of animals suffering from habitat loss. Their conservation does not always lead to full rehabilitation and release. Many of WRC’s orangutans and other animals are too old to be released back into the wild and must remain in captivity as permanent residents.

How much palm oil has slashed the orangutan habitat in Borneo?

Suitable orangutan habitat in Borneo has been slashed by more than 80% in the last 20 years due primarily to palm oil expansion. According to the WWF, 300 football fields of rainforest are cleared hourly in Southeast Asia for palm oil.

How many orangutans does BOSF have?

In an interview, Sihite shared that after unsuccessfully lobbying the federal government to provide more protected forest for release, BOSF then went to local governments and then reached an agreement to actually buy the licenses of logging companies (good for 60 years) and pay tax for land where they can release orangutans. They now have 557 orangutans in centers around Kalimantan.

How does deforestation affect animals?

Deforestation affects the animals which don’t get the spotlight as well. “If you lose orangutans, you lose the 40 types of plants that are grown through their digestive systems,” Rosalia Setiawati of WRC mentions. Sihite agrees: “Orangutans are the gardeners of the forest.” If we lose orangutans, the entire forest ecosystem will change in ways we can only predict. More rescue and rehabilitation centers are needed to support law enforcement and to house greater numbers of homeless animals.

What is COP in Indonesia?

The Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) works at the frontlines of the fires, crimes against orangutans, and battles with palm oil companies. As one of Indonesia’s most dogged activist groups, they hijacked the 2013 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in Medan, Sumatra by barging in on the meeting dressed in orangutan costumes. In the 20 minutes before the police removed them, they displayed a banner urging onlookers to boycott the palm oil companies present there.

Where do orangutans live?

More than 70 percent of orangutans live in unprotected areas where there is palm oil, logging and mining , according to Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) director Jamartin Sihite. Despite a moratorium issued on the opening of new palm oil plantations, local governments face no sanctions for non-compliance and can allow old permits to operate new plantations. Abetnego Tarigan, former executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and now senior advisor to the President, has a unique perspective on the government’s stake in palm oil.

How much did Indonesia lose in the 2015 haze?

In economic terms, the losses to Indonesia during the 2015 haze accounted to USD $16.1 billion. This doesn’t even include other impacted countries in the region, or the detrimental health effects to both people and animals.

Orangutans Facing Extinction

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