The Sumatran Orangutan is a species on the brink of extinction.
They are on the brink of extinction for a number of reasons. The main reason the Sumatran Orangutan is on the brink of extinction, is due to habitat loss. Habitat loss, has played a significant factor in these animals decline. It is also a reason why the Sumatran Orangutan continues to decline today. They are declining because their forest home is being destroyed - and it is being destroyed at an alarming rate.
Sumatran Orangutans live in forests in Sumatra; which is on the island of Indonesia. The forests of Sumatra are disappearing at a very alarming rate. In just over 20 years, Sumatra has lost over 50% of its forest. To put that another way, in our life time, half of the Sumatran forest has been destroyed by humans.
It is therefore not surprising that wildlife conservationists estimate that the Sumatran forest will disappear within 20 years. As the estimate was six years ago; it is now likely that the Sumatran forest will disappear in 14 years from now. This would not only see the end of Sumatran Orangutans, it would also see the end of other wild animals within the Sumatran forest, such as: Sumatran Tigers and Sumatran Rhinos, will also disappear from Earth.
The likelihood is though, that due to the already very small populations of both the Sumatran Tigers and the Sumatran Rhinos, these animals could become extinct long before then. The Sumatran Tiger is already critically endangered - today there are only less than 400 individual Sumatran Tigers remaining in the wild. And the Sumatran Rhino far worse. Sumatran Rhinos are also critically endangered - there are only 80 individual Sumatran Rhinos left in the wild today. The Sumatran Rhino and Sumatran Tiger populations show how much damage has already been done to the Sumatran forest; it also is evidence that the forest is disappearing.
Orangutans sadly face the same fate as Tigers and Rhinos in Sumatra. Today, Sumatran Orangutans are also critically endangered. According to the WWF, there are 14,613 Sumatran Orangutans in the wild today. The main threat to the Sumatran Orangutan, is a loss of habitat. The main threat to their existence is the destruction of their home: deforestation of the Sumatra forest is the biggest threat to the Sumatran Orangutans existence.
Why Are The Forests Under Threat?
The forests are under threat due to humans destroying them. There are several reasons for deforestation in Sumatra. However, the main causes of deforestation are: the clearance of forests for palm oil plantations, and, forest fires. The forest fires aren't always naturally caused, many of the forest fires are started deliberate by people to clear the forest so that they can use the area.
The destruction of the forest doesn't only destroy the trees and plant life; it also destroys and kills all the animals within the forest. Some, a minority, of animals are lucky: these ones are rescued by animal charities. However, most animals in the forest aren't that lucky.
The Sumatran forest is largely being cleared for palm oil. Palm oil is a product that we all consume. These are just some of the products that we all use every day that contains palm oil:
Crisps
Chocolate
Bread
Cheese
Pizza
Biscuits
Ice Cream
Soap
Make-Up
These are just some of the everyday items that we have in our homes that contain palm oil.
Our demand for products containing palm oil, in an unsustainable way, is something which is literally killing the Indonesian forest. With the Earth's population set to grow considerably, the demand for more products containing palm oil will grow. And therefore, more Indonesian forest will be destroyed, and therefore, animals like the Orangutan will continue to decline. It's also possible that within our lifetime - we could see the extinction of the Sumatran forest.
We are the generation which will determine if the Sumatran forest goes extinct. We are the only generation that can prevent this forest from disappearing in our life time. Will we be the generation that saves the Sumatran forest? Or, will we observe years from now on the news the final destruction, and extinction of a forest that stood for millions of years? The choice is ours. But we don't have much time left to save this beautiful forest, and its unique animals.
Help save them by adopting an Orangutan today!