The Orangutans: The Sustainable Palm Oil Industry

Within these small groups, the Cross River Gorilla has very predominant traits to keep them alive when almost extinct and facing a harsh environment (What’s Our Mission). These gorillas have a considerably large body size and they also have quite large hands but short forearms; along with small forward facing eyes that are put close together on top of a large nasal region (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N,). Due to being so big they need a lot of nutrients, and in order to obtain enough food, they eat a large array of diets such as plants in many varieties, and fruits (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.). Since they live in the higher parts of the mountains near the border of Nigeria, the amount of fruit trees that exist are much lower than other regions, so they have come to rely on vegetation (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.). Since almost all fruit is seasonal, the primates must learn when they can eat one type, and when vegetation is important. (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.), (Imong, I., & Robbins, M.). The food they eat also determines how sexually successful they will be in the coming years.

Forest fires and continuous logging are some of human action that caused habitat loss and affecting a significant change of Bornean orangutans population. When local farmers wanted to open a palm oil agriculture they will use a slash and burn methods. In 1998, forest fires in Borneo had caused one-third of Bornean-orangutans population died.

I primarily observed three orangutans, one male, one female, and one juvenile, of Sumatran and Bornean descent, scientifically known as Pongo abelli and Pongo pygmaeus, respectively, and to a lesser extent, two gibbons known as siamangs, or Symphalangus syndactylus. These primates share the same enclosure in the San Diego Zoo in California. I observed the orangutans from 12:58 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. CST on September 19th. During this time frame, the three orangutans mainly stayed high up in their man-made structures, consisting of multiple metal bars covered with nets, ropes, and hammocks. The female and juvenile orangutans stayed above ground from 12:58 P.M. to 1:31 P.M., and again from 1:48 P.M. until 2:00 P.M, approximately 45 minutes. During

Habit loss has been one of the most prominent issues regarding the animal kingdom, and now it seems like the human race is trying to rid our earth of the decreasing amount of flora in certain areas. In Indonesia rain forests are being torn apart to make way for palm oil plantations. Although palm oil is used in packages foods and cosmetics, the Sumatrans elephants and orangutan are suffering from the habitats loss. (Corwin, 8)

Primate conservation has long been a topic of debate, reliant most heavily on the struggle to provide the necessary resources to combat the declining rate of population growth among various species. Orangutans in particular, both Sumatran and Bornean, have experienced a rapid drop in their free-living populations. With an estimate of only 27,000 left in the wild, questions have been raised over what selective pressures are impacting the steady decline of these animals existence. While hunting and poaching have been identified as contributing factors, habitat loss primarily takes center stage in their demise. Conservation efforts have been made and continue to be somewhat successful, however, challenges and set backs continue to threaten

The rare Daintree Rainforest is one of the forest that has been demolishing slowly because of logging. With this ecosystem fragmentation is occurring (“All about carbon dioxide”). Ecosystem fragmentation is where the forest is separated into smaller pieces over time because of human activity (“The Daintree Rainforest Australia”). With this happening, animals habitats are becoming even smaller (“All about carbon dioxide”). With more habitat space becoming less it is causing more animals to become threatened and an endangered species (“Deforestation”). Smaller amount of habitat is also affecting the animals migration patterns, their ability to collect food, and provides less shelter (“All about carbon dioxide”). This fragmentation also makes it a struggle for animals to move from one part of the rainforest to another and it also affects the limit it has on the animals breeding population. The ecosystem fragmentation is making them become more vulnerable to extinction (“Population in Daintree”). Logging is cutting down one and one-half acres of trees each second and eighteen million acres of forest are destroyed each year. It is estimated that in over the next quarter of a century up to twenty-eight thousand animal species may become extinct all because of logging and human damned for lumber (“All about carbon

Palm oil is a vegetable oil high in saturated fats extracted from the palm fruit, the palm tree is a native plant to West Africa then was imported into South East Asia in the mid-19th century. It is one of the most popular edible oils and is being used in approximately 50% of products currently in the supermarkets of Australia including cosmetics, toiletries and food. Malaysia and Indonesia grows around 87% of palm oil while Australia imports about 130,000 tonnes of palm oil every year. Due to the oil plantations being in countries where there

My observation of the orangutan habitat was on a sunny and hot day with the average temperature being between 65-70F. The Enclosure for the orangutans was a grassy and dirt area that was approximately 35ft+ in width and about 75ft+ in length with a long glass barrier for observation. The habitat featured three 15ft tall fake trees which were fashioned after a tree but bare of leaves. The trees were

“The role of humans in the deforestation of the world's forests is considerable and extensive.” Says Rhett Butler. Humans affect the rainforest many inadequate ways, such as deforestation, and wildfires. Deforestation

The beauty, majesty, and timelessness of a primary rainforest is indescribable. It is impossible to capture on film, to describe in words, or to explain to those who have never had the awe-inspiring experience of standing in the heart of a primary rainforest. Rainforests have evolved over millions of years to turn into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Rainforests represent a store of living and breathing renewable natural resources that for eons, by virtue of their richness in both animal and plant species, have contributed a wealth of resources for the survival and well-being of humankind. These resources have included basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices,

I would utilize the natural habitat of Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica where the previous study had been done by Hiramatsu et al. At a variety of levels I would suspend even amounts of fruit baskets. Each basket would contain a different fruit and be replenished daily. One would have a favorite fruit of many local primate species, there would be a basket specifically filled with a fruit favorited by each individual primate species, and there would be a basket full of natural but non-native fruits. I would include both ripe and unripe fruit. Over a four month period, two in the wet season and two in the dry season, I would document which species came to which basket, how many foraged in each basket each day, and their behaviors during foraging. For behaviors I would look at sight, smell, competition: hoarding, guarding, stealing, etc. for each fruit basket. I would also document how many fruits each species was willing to eat. Knowing which species are specialist is important conservation data even though it would not apply directly to my study. When analyzing my data I would only look at adults and use the most effective biostatistics analysis available to me at the time of the

In the last two decades, palm oil has been one of the most imported goods around the world. In fact, the top industries are located in Sumatra, Indonesia, holding up to 90% of the world’s exported palm oil. Palm oil comes from the palm fruit of the African oil palm trees, and is grown mainly in the rainforest area. Unfortunately, the actions taken to grow these trees are causing horrible impacts to the world’s environment, such as deforestation, pollution, and increased greenhouse-gas emissions. Between 1985 and 2011, more than 30 million acres of the Sumatran forest disappeared because of the involvement of palm oil. Because of these environmental impacts, it’s leading to animal cruelty, especially for the Sumatran tiger. The deforestation of palm oil is driving Sumatran tigers toward extinction, because of the endangered wildlife environment, hazardous plantations, and starvation. According to One Green Planet, at least 80% of the Sumatran wildlife habitat is lost from the production of palm oil leading to the extinction of the Sumatran tigers. In 2017, it has been recorded that their are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers that exist (How Palm Oil Impacts the Sumatran Tiger).

The Sumatran Orangutans are mostly located in the trees of the tropical rainforest. They weight from 66 pounds to 198 pounds and can be 4 to 5 feet in length. Their scientific name is Pongo abelii. Unfortunately due to deforestation and other factors the Sumatran orangutans are labeled as critically endangered. Over the years due to habitat loss, the orangutans are losing their homes. The trees from the forests are being cut down and animals like the orangutans who do not come down from their tree are left without a home. The continuation of cutting the trees are leaving more and more Sumatran Orangutans homeless. Also, illegal trade causes the orangutans to be captured and sold. During the process of capturing an orangutans, the mother is

Palm oil harvest often leads to deforestation of the rainforests, and raises many ethical concerns from the public, (Levitt, 2015).

Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation because as human population grows the need for agricultural products increases. Unfortunately, the land used for cultivation results in the displacement of tree reliant animals such as the orangutan. “Without forests, orangutans cannot survive” (Galdikas). Palm oil is produced from trees grown in large plantations in regions where tropical rainforests once existed. The orangutans’ way of life revolves around the existence of trees, they nest in trees, drink water out of holes, and eat their fruit. Orangutans also