Wild Orangutans Research Paper

There are many examples of iconic animals that we take for granted when it comes to thoughts of sharing our earth with them in the far future, but it is becoming more evident throughout the passing of time that this will no longer be true with current conditions. When it comes to animals becoming extinct not many people think that many recognized animals, besides the most talked about ones like Polar bears and Giant pandas, are at risk. One of these incredibly recognized endangered animals is the Orangutan. One of the most distinguished of the great apes, both of the subspecies of Orangutan are endangered; The Bornean and the Sumatran, with the Sumatran being declared as a critical species.

Known for being arboreal and endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, these primates is considered to be regenerators of Rainforests and contributes to biodiversity. Enlisted critically endangered by the National Primate Research Center, Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) and its Bornean relative (pongo pygmaeus) are nearing closely to being extinct. Looking closely at the evidence provided on Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii), and on Willie Smits motivation to help these creatures, I would attempt to identify 5 extinction prone factors that lead to the small population of Orangutan and the effectiveness of the interventions done by Mr. Smits.

Orangutans have long lifespans (30-40 years) with long interbirth intervals and low reproductive rates. In fact, females have eight year intervals between births and will only give birth to one or two offspring in her lifetime. The reason why this poses a problem is that when an enormous amount of orangutans are killed, it’s tough to recover because they are not producing large numbers of children nor do they have short interbirth intervals. Consequently, there will be extremely high death rates and very few births (UNEP, 2007). Their population numbers will continue to fall because they won’t be able to compensate for the great loss. A study completed by Michael Bruford and Benoit Goossens at Cardiff University showed that in 1900, there were approximately 315,000 orangutans in Indonesia. Currently, there are about 60,000 orangutans living in the forests of Indonesia, which is a massive population decline (Kaye, 2016).When orangutans are driven out of their habitat due to deforestation and illegal logging it forces them to roam a great distance in search of food. Orangutans are solitary creatures, spending the majority of their time in the trees. Their diet relies mainly on fruit, with a preference for fruit with soft pulp. They also eat buds, flowers, leaves, soil tree bark, and some insects. Due to their largely frugivorous diet, they have to monitor the seasonal availability of resources. When fruit is abundant, they will increase their food intake and store the food as fat for energy. This enables them to eat low quality food items in habitats where fruit may be scarce (Delgado & Van Schaik, 2000). The dipterocarp forests of Borneo and Sumatra have trees that fruit simultaneously, so there is an abundance of fruit once every 2 to 5 years which are known as the “mast years”. During the other years there is not as much fruit, so orangutans have to maintain large home ranges in

Primate life on earth began about 50-55 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, although it is unknown how many different living species of primates there on earth. One likely fact is that the major groups of primates have been discovered, two of who are the Pongo Orangutan and the Pan Paniscus Bonobo. The word Orangutan translated from Malay means “Person of the forest” this is so because there are only two places you can find an Orangutan’s: Malaysia and Indonesia. The orangutan is an official state animal of Sabah in Malaysia. There are two different types of Orangutan’s; the Bornean Orangutan, which found on the island of Borneo and the Sumatran Orangutan, which is found on the Sumatra Island. Orangutans are known as the world’s largest tree climbing mammals, unlike other primates they spend the majority of their lives on trees. Orangutan habitat consists of primary tropical rain forest and old secondary forest at low elevations. Orangutans prefer high-density climate due to their diet, which consists 65% of fruit. Bonobos have been considered humankind’s closest relative and share 98% of our DNA. Bonobos can only be found in one country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo also known as DRC. Bonobos inhabit the second largest rainforest on earth, the Congo Basin. Bonobos prefer swampy rainforests and similar to the Orangutans, Bonobos are arboreal which are adapted to living on

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

Orangutans, endemic now only in the southeast rainforests of Asia, were once found throughout Asia (Campbell, C. J., 2011). Since 2001, there have only been two species of orangutan identified, the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abeli) and the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) (Nater, A., et al. 2017). However, recent research, to be published later this month, has identified a new third species of orangutan, Pongo tapanuliensis. This species of orangutans, found south of Lake Toba, was once grouped with the Sumatran Orangutans, however, recent genetic testing has identified them as a completely different species from those orangutans found north of Lake Toba. Orangutans all face major issues in terms of numbers with all species marked as either endangered or critically endangered due to hunting pressure and habitat destruction. The palm oil industry has greatly

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)

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 captivity of primates in zoos can be viewed as maltreatment by animal welfare organizations since confining them in such establishments is going against their rights to be liberated and it may cause some unwanted stress, yet zoos provide various enrichment programs, medicinal assistance, scheduled meals that are appropriate for the primate’s diet, and conservation of the said animal. Primate captivity in zoos can be regarded as both moral and unethical for it imprisons primates, however, as their natural habitat dwindles, zoos also preserve primate population through captive breeding. Furthermore, zoos simultaneously deform the lives of the primates, garner sympathetic reactions from humans for these creatures, and inform

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

Last, many endangered animals are becoming more at risk because of the climate change. The habitats of several endangered animals have started to disappear, and their water has become scarce, too. Document B says that these animals include snow leopards, whose forest climate is shrinking, one-horned rhinos, whose vegetation is being diminished by regular droughts and floods, and orang-utans, who are being killed in forest fires in their forest homes. This killing of endangered animals is bringing these species closer to extinction all because of the rise in earth’s

Orangutan was the primate I decided to select for this primate observation. The monkey was enclosed in a large cage with two other monkeys (same species). It seem to be comfortable and unbothered of its surroundings. The monkey was just sitting observing everything around them, for example us the visitors. These primates are known to be unique thinkers. They are very quiet than other primates, patient, and problem solvers. The staff from the Los Angeles Zoo, provides a variety of enrichment through diet, I noticed a staff giving the monkeys vegetables: carrots, lettuce, and other that I didn’t quite notice. Being able to observe the lives of the Orangutans enclosed in the zoo, are very different

Chimpanzees are great apes that are the closest living relatives to humans (Larsen, 2014). These primates have been studied and observed intently for decades, and there are many theories that explain why they are the way they are. Chimpanzees learn the necessary skills of survival through social and cultural contexts and pass these traits along to their offspring. In researching these smart and interesting primates I have understood the social and cultural roles chimpanzees have that are necessary for survival. The mother- infant bond is crucial to the development of young chimpanzees and these females are known for teaching their young social roles and behavior, communication

The Jane Goodall Institute website provides information about the projects regarding the protection of chimpanzees and other primates. Based on the institute’s initiative to protect the primates by providing education to the community, supporting sanctuaries, and working with law enforcements (website JGI). Furthermore, the information provided on the program Roots & Shoots points out a guide to those interested in helping the wild life, and provides aid to elaborate new plans to help the primates. The first step is to acknowledge the problem, in this case is finding a way to protect the chimpanzees. Second, to elaborate a pan, the JGI conservation program uses technology such as cloud computing and remote sensing to provide up to date information on the

The rate of deforestation is increasing and the tropical forests are falling at approximately 140,000 acres per day (Miller & Tangley 1991: xvi). The forests are crucial to the environment. They are important in minimizing erosion, providing a stable habitat for many animals, and helping to keep the environment clean. Deforestation has devastating effects, not only on the biological dependents within the depleted forests, but also on the surrounding human-populated communities.