Stephanie and Dan will be embarking upon a 10k run (Bupa London 10,000 to be precise) on the 25th May 2009 to raise money for our furry orange friends (closer friends than you may expect as we share 96.4% of our genes!) which will protect them in their natural habitat.
Orangutan Survival
Orangutans are in grave danger of extinction due to the fast destruction of their rainforest habitat in Bouneo and Sumatra. The Bornean orangutan is listed as endangered and the Sumatran orangutan as critically endangered.
A sad fact now widely recognised is that the Sumatran orangutan, with a population of approximately 7000, will be the first great ape to become extinct unless we take urgent action.
Why are they endangered?
Mining, commercial logging and farming are quickly destroying the rainforest in which the orangutans live. Less forest means orangutans have less space, less food and are vulnerable to illegal hunting. Adult females are often shot and their infants taken as pets or to be sold through the illegal wildlife trade.
The palm oil industry poses one of the biggest threats to the orangutans survival, through forest clearing for palm oil plantations. Palm oil is found in 1 in 10 supermarket products in the UK including biscuits, chocolate, bread, detergents and lipsticks. A report by Friends of the Earth in 2005 stated that without urgent intervention the palm oil trade is likely to be the cause of orangutan extinction within 12 years (http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/oil_for_ape_full.pdf). We can all make a difference now by not buying products containing palm oil.
The Foundation
The Orangutan Foundation actively conserves the orangutan and the rainforest it needs whilst conducting long-term research on orangutan ecology and that of other important rainforest fauna and flora.
The Foundation supports conservation work in Indonesia and Malaysia and raises funds and awareness in the UK and internationally. In Indonesia, the Foundation actively protects Tanjung Puting National Park, cares for ex-captive, orphaned and injured orangutans and operates a rehabilitation programme that returns orangutans to a life in the wild.
For more information about these beautiful forest dwellers and the Foundation's work visit: www.orangutan.org.uk
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: the Orangutan Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor us now!
