Malaysia plans to give orangutans as gifts to countries that buy its palm oil as part of an “orangutan diplomacy” strategy.
- The strategy aims to ease concerns over the environmental impact of the commodity.
- Malaysia is the world’s second biggest producer of palm oil after Indonesia. Global demand for palm oil has been blamed for driving deforestation in Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia.
Orangutan
- There are three species orangutan: the Bornean, the Sumatran and the recently confirmed new species (as of 2017), the Tapanuli.
- These great apes are only found in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The Bornean orangutan is endemic to the island of Borneo.
- The Sumatran orangutan is found in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
- All three orangutan species are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
- Orangutans are incredibly dexterous and use both hands and feet while gathering food and travelling through the trees.
- Like us, orangutans have four fingers and a thumb, and fingernails.
- They make a sleeping platform, or nest, every night.
- Some Sumatran orangutans use tools – like sticks to get termites, ants or bees out of tree holes.
