Saving orangutans means saving the forests<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, orangutans (Pongo pymaeus) roamed thousands
\nof miles across southern China and Southeast Asia. In the wild,
\ntoday, they can only be found on the islands of Kalimantan and
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
More than a hundred years ago, these "forest people" lived by
\nthe hundred thousands in the swampy coastal forests of Kalimantan
\nand northern Sumatra; today they number less than 20,000.<\/p>\n
Within the last decade alone, the population of orangutan in
\nthe wild has shrunk by 50 percent. In Sumatra it is estimated
\nabout 1,000 orangutans are lost each year, according to the
\nUnited Kingdom-based Orangutan Foundation, while in Kalimantan
\nthe number is estimated to be much higher.<\/p>\n
"At this rate, we predict that the orangutan would disappear
\nfrom the wild in 10 to 20 years," the foundation said in a
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
It's the classic race of survival between man and beast -- and
\nhere, it looks like man will once again come out the winner, with
\nthe orangutan's extinction as the price -- unless, an
\nextraordinary effort is taken to protect the remaining
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
The problem is, even when left alone in the wild, orangutans
\nare already vulnerable due to their limited reproductive cycle.<\/p>\n
On average, females do not become sexually mature until the
\nage of 15, and usually only reproduce once every seven years. A
\nfemale orangutan usually has no more than three offspring during
\nher lifetime.<\/p>\n
People's fascination with exotic animals worsens the situation
\nfurther. Many adult female orangutans are killed to capture their
\nyoung, to be sold as pets or zoo animals. It is estimated that
\nfor every baby orangutan that reaches the market, another four or
\nfive orangutans die.<\/p>\n
The orangutan's greatest threat, however, lies in their
\ndwindling habitat, the forests, thanks to humans who ravage the
\nland more and more for their own use without caring for the
\necosystem. In Kalimantan and Sumatra, the forests are cleared to
\nmake way for oil palm plantations, illegal logging and gold
\nmining.<\/p>\n
The orangutan in fact need a large area to live in. According
\nto the Orangutan Foundation, a female orangutan, for instance,
\nneeds at least 1,500 hectares of forestland to forage for insects
\nand fruits, while a male needs up to 4,000 hectares.<\/p>\n
The reduction of suitable habitat forces orangutan populations
\nto go into smaller areas which cannot support their needs.<\/p>\n
"The orangutan is on the verge of extinction because they have
\nlost most of their habitat," Orangutan Foundation director Ashley
\nLeiman said.<\/p>\n
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) together with
\nthe Orangutan Foundation launched a global program last year
\ncalled the Great Ape Survival Project (GrASP) to protect the
\nremaining population of orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and
\nchimpanzees.<\/p>\n
There are only 23 countries in the world today where great
\napes survive, among them are Indonesia, the Ivory Coast, Liberia,
\nMalaysia, Mali, Nigeria and Rwanda.<\/p>\n
GrASP aims to establish a national Great Ape Survival Plan
\n(GASP) in each of the 23 countries within two years. The funding
\nfor the plan will be collected by UNEP through government and
\nprivate sponsors.<\/p>\n
"There is an interdependency between the orangutan and the
\nforest. We believe that the only way to save the orangutan is to
\nsave its habitat, the tropical forest," said Al Zaqie, Orangutan
\nFoundation's representative in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the Orangutan Foundation fights for the survival
\nof the orangutan in the 3,040-square-kilometer Tanjung Puting
\nNational Park in Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The foundation has also successfully acquired some 76,000
\nhectares of land for an orangutan reserve from a logging
\nconcessionaire in Central Kalimantan. The area is now called the
\nLamandau Animal Reserve and today the foundation manages an
\nOrangutan Care Center for rehabilitation and health care.<\/p>\n
Currently, the center takes care of 170 orangutans in various
\nstages of rehabilitation in a facility meant only to cater for 40
\norangutans. The orangutans treated there arrive as young as four
\nmonths old to the age of 10 years. Often they need 24-hour care
\nas usually they are severely traumatized from being kept as pets.<\/p>\n
To date, there are 205 orangutans that have been rehabilitated
\nand returned to the wild from Camp Leakey research center in
\nCentral Kalimantan, while another 16 has been set free in the
\nLamandau Animal Reserve.<\/p>\n
Why do orangutans warrant protection? One of the reasons is,
\norangutans also help preserve the rain forest as they play an
\nessential role as seed dispersers as they digest food and
\neliminate waste. They also act as pruners and aid regenerating
\nplant growth by choosing green leaves and shoots to eat.<\/p>\n
The whole ecosystem is constructed like a fragile house of
\ncards, each card being man, flora, and fauna. If one of those
\ncomponents goes missing, the house of cards will tumble down.<\/p>\n
More information about orangutans can be accessed through the
\nInternet at www.orangutan.org, www.orangutan.org.uk, and
\nwww.unep.org\/grasp.<\/p>",
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