The world's true kings of the jungle, orangutans, are vanishing at an alarming rate. Today, on INTERNATIONAL ORANGUTAN DAY, help save our closest ancestors.
Nearly a century ago, orangutans — long-limbed and ginger-haired — lived all across Southeast Asia. But today, they can be found in only two places on Earth: Borneo and Sumatra. And within these confines, there are only three distinct species of orangutan — Bornean, Sumatran and the newly discovered Tapanuli — each of which are highly intelligent and critically endangered.
As the world’s heaviest arboreal mammal, orangutans spend nearly 90% of their lives amongst the trees. Up in the canopies, which are cognitively mapped in their brains, orangutans forage for food, aid in forest health through seed dispersal, and build nests.
