The Orangutan, meaning "men of the forest" in local dialect - is thought to be the first of the great apes to become extinct.  The habitat of the Orangutan has been decimated through illegal logging and the construction of Palm Oil plantations.  Their numbers are further savaged through the illegal pet trade and the bush meat trade.  They could be extinct in the wild in the next 5 to 10 years, unless we do something to stop this from happening.

The AWF are raising funds for the Red Ape Encounters, to ensure this brilliant species is not lost forever.

Orangutans are found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.  They live in the treetops and swing between branches using both of their hands and feet.  Orangutans face extinction due to the destruction of the rainforest in order to make room for palm oil plantations.

Females can reach weight of 50kgs and males 90kgs.  Their diets mainly consist of fruits, leaves, seeds and bark all found in the tree canopies.  Orangutans are primates with the second longest childhoods out of all mammals (second only to humans), the length of time an Orangutan baby will stay with it's mother depends on whether they are male or female.  Males will stay with their mothers for up to 7 years and females stay until they are in their teens to learn vital parenting skills.  Orangutans are very intelligent animals known for their use of tools, such as leaves to shelter themselves from rain.  

Due to the growing demand for palm oil the Orangutan's natural habitat is being destroyed by both illegal logging and to make space for palm oil plantations (THIS INCLUDES SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL).  At the beginning of the 20th century orangutan numbers were in the hundreds of thousands, through the vast increase in logging and the development of palm oil  plantations their habitat has been reduced significantly as has their population.  Currently it is estimated that the Orangutans have lost up to 80% of their forest habitat in the last 20 years, due to this as few as 50,000 Orangutans are left in Borneo and a mere 7,000 remain in Sumatra.

An estimated 4-5,000 Orangutans are lost each year due to the destruction of their habitat, starvation, illegal killing and the primate pet trade.  An Orangutan found on or near a palm oil plantation or deforestation site is either shot or beaten to death using sticks, and metal rods by the loggers this often leaves babies orphaned and alone in the wild or taken captive for the illegal but lucrative primate pet trade, one baby Orangutan will cost anything between €260 and €36,000 due to this as many as 100 Orangutans are taken from the Kalimantan forests in Indonesia alone, the majority of which die through poor travel and living conditions.

This project aims to inform and educate people of the habitat loss and destruction of the rainforest for the palm oil industry and the effects it has on Orangutans and their numbers in the wild as well as in captivity.  It also aims to rescue, rehabilitate and release any captured Orangutans back into safe and regulated semi wild locations,  take care of and teach orphaned Orangutans vital lessons they would have learnt in the wild from their mothers.

Humans share 97% of DNA with Orangutans, which makes them our closest living relatives, and because of us they face extinction, and may completely be extinct in 5 years! 

Your donation goes towards the resources required for this to be possible.  100% OF ALL DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO THE PROJECT NO ADMINISTRATION COSTS OR COMMISION IS TAKEN BY AWF FROM DONATIONS.  THE ANIMALS ARE THE ONLY ONES TO BENEFIT FROM DONATIONS.

AWF works with projects around the world to encourage conservation, education, research and awareness of the worlds wildlife and the declining numbers of the animals at the hands of humans.  

Through making a donation to one of the AWF projects you will be helping raise awareness and make a difference.

To donate to a specific AWF project or to the AWF as a whole see the other justgiving pages for:

*AWF - Humpback Whale

*AWF - Black Rhino

*AWF - Vaquita

*AWF - Blue Whale

*AWF - Elephant

For further information on the projects and AWF go to www.whalenation.org