- According to the new study published in the journal ‘Current Biology’, more than one lakh (1,00,000) Orangutans have been killed in the jungles of Borneo since 1999.
- The main culprit behind the killing of endangered species Orangutans is deforestation, driven by logging, oil palm, mining and paper mills.
- Even in standing forests orangutans were killed, which confirms hunting activities. These species are being killed in retaliation for crop-raiding also.
About Orangutans
- Orangutans, which means ‘man of the forest’ in the Malay language are the largest arboreal mammal on our planet.
- It spend most of their time in trees.
- It share 96.4% of our genes and are highly intelligent creatures.
- There are thee types of orangutans: Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus), Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutans.
- The Tapanuli Orangutans, the third species, was discovered in November 2017. It is native to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The Tapanuli population numbers only around 800 individuals. It is found only in a single high-elevation forest called Batang Toru of Indonesia.
- IUCN Red list has listed orangutans as the critically endangered (CR) species.
About Borneo Island
- It is third largest island in the world after Greenland and New New Guinea. It is Asia’s largest island.
- The island is divided among three nations; Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia.
- In Indonesia it is known as Kalimantan.
