With its distinctive shaggy orange-red hair and very long arms, the orang-utan is instantly recognisable as it swings through the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo.
Did you know that orang-utan means ‘man of the forest’ in Malay? It’s the largest mammal that makes its home in the trees, and the only great ape found in Asia. It feasts mainly on fruit – particularly figs, mangoes and the famously foul-smelling fruit of the durian tree.
Trees also provide the vegetation orang-utans need to make a fresh nest each night to sleep in. And on rainy days orang-utans are known to use leafy branches as a kind of umbrella.
However, the orang-utan’s forest home is being destroyed by commercial logging and clearance, particularly for oil palm plantations. Palm oil is used in everyday products such as soap, ice cream and chocolate.
As a result, orang-utan populations have fallen drastically – fewer than 60,000 are thought to survive in the wild today.
To address the unsustainable practices of palm oil production, the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established, of which WWF and M&S are both members. From November 2007, oil palm plantations that meet RSPO principles will receive certification for their operations. If orang-utans and their environment are to be protected, it is vital that more and more plantations join the RSPO and obtain certification.
Further positive news is that in February 2007, WWF helped to secure an historic agreement between the three governments of Borneo to conserve rainforests across an area larger than the UK in the Heart of Borneo.
Photography © Alain Compost/WWF-Canon