Threats Against Orangutans
Let's help our Orangutans and their homes
It’s easy to feel some kind of connection to orangutans when watching them in their natural habitats. That might have something to do with the fact that they’re closely related to us, and they share 97% of our DNA…
Orangutans are known for their distinctive shaggy, auburn hair and living high up in the canopies of trees. They’re found in the rainforests of Sumatra, Borneo and Tapanuli and they’re currently the largest tree-climbing mammals in the world, but that could all change
Today, there are only three different species of Orangutans left – the Sumatran, the Bornean and the Tapanuli Orangutan. One main reason for this is deforestation.
We all know about deforestation, and the Sumatran and Bornean rainforests have become victims of this. Sadly, this means that the homes of many wild animals are being destroyed. Between 1970-2021, over half of Borneo’s forests have been destroyed for commercial and development reasons. Since this, protected areas have been built for orangutans to live peacefully, naturally and without fear. But illegal logging inside these areas is still a major threat. Today, more than 50% of orangutans are found outside of these protected areas, putting them closer to extinction.
Deforestation isn’t the only issue that’s bringing orangutans closer to extinction. Hunting and illegal wildlife trade are major issues that happen every single day. Orangutans are targets for hunters, and if a female orangutan is caught with her offspring, her young will be caught and sold into the pet trade. Whilst there are laws in place across the globe to stop this, it still remains a huge threat for orangutans.
Why are orangutans so important?
Orangutans hugely impact the rainforests. They’re nicknamed the ‘gardeners of the forests’ because they help spread seeds. They eat the fruit from the trees, the seeds fall out of the other end, the forest grows. Thanks to the orangutans, they can spread the larger seeds in the forest that the other smaller animals can’t get to.
If orangutans were no longer, the forests would be drastically different. Forests provide food for the wildlife that live there such as tigers, elephants and rhinos. They also provide food for local communities. Without orangutans, there would be no seed spreading, which would reduce the amount of food within the forest and impact the wildlife and surrounding communities.
What can we do?
- Avoid products that contain unsustainable palm oil
- Buy FSC-certified products
- Reduce, reuse and recycle products
- Spread the word
At Living Nature, we care about the Earth just as much as we care about animals, so we’ve introduced a sustainable soft toy range; Naturli. We’re helping the Earth one teddy at a time by using preloved plastic bottles and containers to create the stuffing inside our soft toys. Not only are they incredibly soft and cuddly, but they’re limiting the impact that we would have on the environment otherwise. So to help encourage better shopping choices, we’ve made it easy for teddy lovers across the world to buy more sustainably.
Wanting a cute but sustainable soft toy? Shop our Naturli range here…
