1 Tahrcountry Musings: Orangutans’ survival threatened

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Orangutans’ survival threatened

Orangutans, Asia's only great ape could be wiped out within 12 years, says environmentalists. Orangutans are found only on Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Destruction of jungles has caused a decline in orangutan numbers. Wildlife centers in Indonesia had plenty of orphaned baby orangutans this year that had been rescued from forests cleared to make way for new palm oil plantations. Representatives from Fauna and Flora International (FFI) World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the UN's Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP), and UNESCO gathered on Wednesday in Pontianak to try and pool their expertise to save the orangutan, and come up with firm proposals for their welfare.

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