OrangUtan
Tagged: animal, cat, insect, mammal, petsPongo pygmaeus
Orang utan means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. Once numbering hundreds ofa thousands, the orang Utan population has declined sharply in recent years because of loss of habitat and capture for the pet trade.The orang utan holds two animal records: It is the world’s largest tree dwelling mammal, and it is the only great ape that lives in Asia. Living in the trees of the tropical rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra, this ape rarely walks on the ground. It has very long, strong arms ideally suited to a life of swinging and climbing from branch to branch in the tree canopy. Orang-utans tend to live alone or in very small groups. Most nights they build a fresh nest in the trees, only occasionally reusing a nest. Two-thirds of their diet is fruit-especially wild figs and durians but they have a huge appetite and may spend a whole day sitting gorging in a tree. Orang-utans can live for up to 40 years; they are mature aged between seven and 10. Females normally give birth to a single baby, though occasionally they have twins. The babies are completely dependent on the mother and are not weaned until three years old.
Decline and Fall
Once orang-utans were found throughout Southeast Asia and southern China, but today there are estimated to be fewer than 30,000 in the wild. Their numbers have declined by 30 to 50 percent in the last 10 years. The greatest threat to orang-utans is the destruction of their habitat-tropical rain forest. Large areas of forest have been affected as trees are felled for their timber, and land cleared for farming. It is estimated that 80 percent of all forest in Malaysia and Indonesia has already been logged. In the 1990s a series of forest fires that burned for months at a time badly affected the orang-utan. Another threat is the capture of live orangs for the pet trade.
Despite legislation, it is estimated that between 1996 and 2000 about 1,000 orang-utans were captured to be sold as exotic pets. For every orang-utan that survives capture and shipment, five or six others will die in the process. The highly intelligent species is protected by law in Indonesia and Malaysia; both countries have signed up To CITES. The 1987 Asian Primate Action Plan identified several conservation measures needed to protect the orang utan. They included the setting up and managing of protected areas (such as the Gunung National Park in Sumatra), surveys to establish the population and distribution of orang-utans, and a public education program. About 60 percent of orang-utans in Borneo could be protected if conservation laws were more rigorously enforced. There are a number of orang-utan rehabilitation centers. They look after orang-utans rescued from smugglers or those that have lost their homes because of logging. The apes are relocated to protected areas. There are about 645 orang-utans (1992 figures) held in 142 zoos and collections worldwide of which 492 were born in captivity.
DATA PANEL
Orang-utan
Pongo pygmaeus
- Family: Pongidae
- Form: A large long-haired ape; the coat is Related endangered species: Western usually a reddish color but varies from lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla); orange to dark chocolate mountain gorilla (G. g. beringei); pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus); chimpanzee
- Diet: Mainly fruit; also young leaves and shoots, insects, bark, and small mammals
- Breeding: Usually gives birth to single young; mature at 7-10 years. Life span up to 40 years
- Size: Height: male 54 in (137 cm); female 45 in (115 cm). Weight: male 130-200 lb (60-90 kg); female 88-110 Ib (40-50 kg)
- World population: Fewer than 30,000
- Distribution: Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra) and Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak)
- Habitat: Tropical rain forests
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