CRSTATUS
Critically Endangered
aPOPULATION
45,000 - 69,000
bSCIENTIFIC NAME
Pongo pygmaeus
cHEIGHT
3.3 – 4.6 feet
dWEIGHT
66–220 pounds
eHABITATS
Lowland rainforests and tropical, swamp and mountain forests
Bornean orangutan populations have declined by more than 50% over the past 60 years, and the species' habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over the past 20 years.
The Bornean orangutan differs in appearance from the Sumatran orangutan, with a broader face and shorter beard and also slightly darker in color. Three subspecies are recognized, each localized to different parts of the island:
Northwest Bornean orangutans are the most threatened subspecies. Its habitat has been seriously affected by logging and hunting, and a mere 1,500 individuals or so remain. Many habitat patches in the area are small and fragmented.Northeast Bornean orangutans are the smallest in size and found in Sabah and eastern Kalimantan as far as the Mahakam River.Central Bornean orangutans are the subspecies with the most animals, with at least 35,000 individuals.
1. Where do orangutans live?
Orangutans are found only in the rain forests of the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. They spend nearly their entire lives in trees—swinging in tree tops and building nests for sleep.
2. Do the two species of orangutans look different from one another?
The two species of orangutan, Bornean and Sumatran, differ slightly in appearance and behavior. While both have shaggy reddish fur, Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair and seem to have closer social bonds than their Bornean cousins. Bornean orangutans are more likely to descend from trees on occasion and move around on the ground.
3. What threats do orangutans face?
Asia’s only great apes are threatened by rapid deforestation and devastation of their habitat, mainly due to palm and other agricultural plantations. Young orangutans, in particular, are also imperiled by the illegal pet trade and mothers often killed as poachers snatch their young.
4. How many orangutans are left in the wild?
The Bornean orangutan is listed as Endangered and numbers approximately 41,000, while the Sumatran orangutan is considered Critically Endangered with an estimated population of 7,500. A century ago, more than 230,000 orangutans likely roamed in the wild.
5. Do orangutans stick by their young?
Adult orangutans are solitary by nature but mothers stay with their young for up to eight years—longer than any other great ape.
6. What do orangutans eat?
Fruit makes up about 60% of the orangutan's diet, including lychees, mangosteens, mangoes and figs. They also eat young leaves and shoots, insects, soil, tree bark, and occasionally eggs and small vertebrates. Water comes from fruit as well as tree holes.
7. How does WWF help orangutans?
WWF has been working on orangutan conservation since the 1970s. Today, we are focused on securing landscapes for major orangutan habitats, promoting sustainable forestry and stopping illegal wildlife trade.
8. Where does the word 'orangutan' come from?
The name orangutan translates to 'man of the forest' in the Malay language.
9. Do orangutans climb trees?
Orangutans are distinguished by their long, muscular arms and gripping hands and feet which allow the world’s largest tree-dwelling mammal to sway branch to branch.
10. How do orangutans and people live together?
WWF helped launch a sustainable honey business on the island of Borneo, where orangutans and people depend on the same forests. The prized, forest-grown product provides income and deters destruction of orangutan habitat
RESTORING HABITAT INTEGRITY
WWF works with governments to help create and manage a network of protected areas. We also collaborate with certified logging concessions to connect them with carefully managed “ecological corridors.” Studies show that Bornean orangutans can survive in logged forests if the impact of logging is reduced through selective logging, keeping fruit trees intact, and controlling hunting. WWF has developed scientifically rigorous assessment tools and plans to manage orangutan landscapes. We engage with timber and palm oil companies to develop specific protection and management plans for their concessions, in order to mitigate negative impacts on habitats and orangutan populations.
ADDRESSING THE ILLEGAL KILLING AND TRADE OF ORANGUTANS
WWF works closely with TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, to help governments enforce the laws that prohibit orangutan capture and trade. This work includes strengthening the capacity of rangers, prosecutors and customs officers to identify, investigate and prosecute wildlife crimes. We assist government and specialized organizations in rescuing orangutans from traders and from people who keep them illegally as pets. Many rescued orangutans are taken to refuges where they can recover and be rehabilitated, and then are eventually released back into the wild.
REDUCING HUMAN-ORANGUTAN CONFLICTS
WWF works with the governments, local communities, plantation owners and indigenous Dayak people to help develop plantation management methods that do not affect orangutans. We assist with regional land use planning to ensure that agricultural areas are developed as far away from orangutan habitat as possible. We also help establish ecotourism to support conservation. Sustainable tourism can generate financial support for orangutan conservation, bring economic benefits to those living nearby, and increase the commitment of residents and foresters to protect the animals.
COMMUNITIES FIND A VOICE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
In 2010, WWF started a program in West Kalimantan, Indonesia that enables local communities to find a voice through photography. The program, Panda CLICK! (Communication Learning toward Innovative Change and Knowledge), encourages community members to capture photos and video of their surroundings—images they feel are significant to their culture and daily life. Participants are of all ages and include fishermen, farmers, teachers, students and tribal leaders. Panda CLICK! is part of WWF’s contribution to community education about nature conservation. The program encourages communities to transfer knowledge to younger generations through visual and written documentation.
