Orangutans are one of the world's most gentle animals. They are also cute, charismatic, full of life and love.
They are also one of our closest cousins.
Orangutans help make their rainforest home come alive with their presence. The rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo wouldn't be the same without these beautiful animals. As Orangutans are at the heart of the Sumatran rainforest and the Borneo rainforest.
The only ecosystems Orangutans are found in the world, are the Borneo rainforest and the Sumatran rainforest. Both rainforests are the only two places where Orangutans are found in the wild.
How Many Orangutan Species Are There?
There are three different Orangutan species.
Those three Orangutan species are - the Borneo Orangutan, the Sumatran Orangutan and the Tapanuli Orangutan. All three species of Orangutan are critically endangered; all three are very vulnerable to extinction today.
One Orangutan species is extremely vulnerable to extinction today, more so than the others. That Orangutan species is the Tapanuli Orangutan.
The Tapanuli Orangutan
Up until very recently, it was thought that only two Orangutan species existed. Those two Orangutan species were - the Sumatran Orangutan and the Borneo Orangutan.
The Tapanuli Orangutan was only discovered very recently; they were only discovered in 2017. They are already threatened with extinction.
Tapanuli Orangutans are critically endangered; they have a very low population today. It is estimated that only 800 of them exist in the wild today. This makes Tapanuli Orangutans one of the most endangered animals in the world today.
What Threats Do They Face?
Sadly, Tapanuli Orangutans face several threats today, which puts them at risk of becoming extinct.
One of the latest threats that this Orangutan faces, is - the threat of gold mining. The world's rarest Orangutan species are at risk of extinction because of gold mining which is taking place in their forest home.
Their forest home is the Sumatran rainforest.
There has been a resurgence in illegal gold mining in the Sumatran rainforest this year: illegal gold mining like this is one of the reasons the Sumatran rainforest is being destroyed.
There are other reasons for the destruction of the Sumatran rainforest. This includes the Sumatran rainforest being destroyed because of the land being cleared to make way for the land to be used for agriculture. There is also the risk of further destruction to the rainforest as a dam has been proposed; this dam could be built in the Sumatran rainforest.
These are some of the threats that Tapanuli Orangutans face, and there are other threats they face. This includes: being hunted by humans, the illegal wildlife trade and more.
These threats pose a risk to the existence of the Orangutan. If the threats aren't tackled and stopped, then Tapanuli Orangutans could become extinct.
There is still time to save this animal. In saying that though, when species have such a low population - such as the Tapanuli Orangutan does - they can decline and disappear very quickly.
The time to save these beautiful animals is now.
You can help save Orangutans like the Tapanuli Orangutan with the WWF. You can do that by adopting an Orangutan.
You can adopt an Orangutan with the WWF - here.
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