Press Room
In this section we will publish press releases and any media-related information. We will be constantly updating this information. If you have further questions please contact us: Richard Zimmerman Director, Orangutan Outreach Email: info@redapes.org
Orangutan Outreach
419 Lafayette Street
2nd Floor
New York, NY
USA 10003
Fact Sheet: Orangutans
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Some basic facts about orangutans
Population: Less than 60,000
Area of distribution: Lives in the rainforest of Borneo and Sumatra
Social: Males live alone and females lives with infants
Height: Male 4.5 feet, female 3.5 feet
Reach: The arms of an orangutan can have a reach of more than 8 feet
Weight: Male 130 - 200 lbs, female 90 - 120 lbs
Lifespan: In the wild 35 - 50 years
Number of babies: 1 at a time, every 6 -7 years
Food: Tropical fruits, leaves, sprouts, bark and insects. Have the ability to eat unripe fruits which gives them an advantage to other fruits eaters.
Nobody knows exactly how many orangutans are left in the world but it is believed to be less than 60,000. They live in the wild only in Borneo and Sumatra, divided into two different subspecies. In general, Borneans are slightly smaller in size and have darker hair. The Bornean subspecies is further divided into several distinct geographic types. The orangutan is the only non-human great ape left in Asia, but due to all the threats against them their chances of survival is quickly diminishing. In Sumatra alone, the latest population count shows that the number has been reduced from 12,000 in 1993 to around 6,500 today. In Borneo there are an estimated 50,000 left. Saving orangutans is built on the premise of protecting and preserving the rainforest. This is not only decisive for the orangutans but also for thousands of other threatened animal and plants species.
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Fact Sheet: Threats
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The main threats: destruction of the rainforest due mainly to encroaching palm oil plantations, illegal logging, fires and poaching
Borneo: the worlds third largest island Surface: 462,000 sq miles
Reduction of the forest: Since 1980 25% of Borneo’s forests have disappeared.
Human population: more than 15 million
Nations: Borneo is divided between three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei
The orangutans used to live spread out over South East Asia all the way to what is now southern China. Most of the land was then covered with huge continuous rainforest areas and the orangutans could roam freely over large distances. Today the logging and the human expansion have limited the untouched rainforest to very little intact areas. The numbers of orangutans are diminishing because of human impact. The threat comes mainly from three human activities: destruction of the forest, fires and poaching. Large parts of the original forests of Asia have disappeared. They have been replaced by farm land, palm oil plantations, cities and villages. Huge areas are also disappearing as the forest companies are illegally cutting down the trees, without permits from either the government or the local populations, who depend on the forest for their survival. When creating plantations it is common to first burn the land. Over the years these planned fires have often spread uncontrollably, leaving an enormous destruction in their wake. Many orangutans are killed by the fires as they have no chance of escape. The poaching of the orangutan is another obstacle for the survival of the species. The infants are sold as exotic pets while the flesh from the adults is eaten. Despite the fact that it is illegal to kill, capture or sell orangutans there is a lot of money to be made-- which makes it very difficult to come to terms with the problem.
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Fact Sheet: Rainforests
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Surface of Indonesia: 1,192,684 sq miles Forest: 550.000 sq miles
Rate of logging: Ca 12,500 sq miles per year.
Threat: Forest destruction and fires. Illegal logging: Estimated to constitute 50 - 88% of all logging.
BOS forest plantation and conservations projects: Mawas and Samboja Lestari.
Only in Borneo you can find 10 - 15,000 different species of flowers and around 3000 different kinds of trees. The same diversity applies to the animals and a large number are endemic to this area and can be found no where else. Every year new animal and plant species are discovered and scientists barely have time to investigate before they disappear forever. The Indonesian rainforest is the second largest in the world with an area of nearly 546.806 square miles. This is about 10% of the world’s rainforest and is twice the size of Texas or nearly the size of Alaska. Logging and fires are making the forest disappear at an unsustainable rate. Hundreds of animals and plants are disappearing because of this and entire ecosystems are transformed into desert. One of the biggest problems in Indonesia is the illegal logging that is being fueled by the international demand for cheap timber. There are different opinions as to the extent of the illegal logging, but is it clear that more than half of all logging in the country is illegal.
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Fact Sheet: BOS
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Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) does the following:
- --rescues sick and injured orangutans in the two rehabilitation centers in Borneo (Nyaru Menteng, Wanariset).
- --protects the forest that the orangutans are dependent upon by replanting new forest in collaboration with the local populations and by lobbying to preserve the most important forest areas.
- --conducts and supports research and spreads information about problems facing orangutans and how to solve them.
BOS is an Indonesian non-governmental organization that is working to preserve the orangutans and their habitat. The idea for the organization came about in the beginning of 1990 when a group of committed scientists together with their students took care of a few orangutans who were in dire need of help after having been rescued from previous captivity. After the large forest fires that struck Indonesia in 1997 and 1998, when hundreds of orangutans needed to be care for in a larger and more constructed way the organization was founded in it s current form. Today around 300 people, consisting of veterinarians, researcher, park rangers and many others, work together in the world largest rehabilitations project for orangutans. Since 2003 BOS has grown and now has a number of national affiliates in countries like the UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Holland and the United States. The number of projects in Indonesia has also increased. In 2003 the name of the organization was changed to Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF). The United States is the latest country to start up a national office under the name of Orangutan Outreach. The main BOS office is in Bogor just outside Jakarta. The BOSF board is lead by Ir. Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, former Minister of Forestry in Indonesia. The board is assisted by a scientific counsel that consists of orangutan experts and other experts (such as forestry, deforestation, biology) from around the world. Borneo Orangutan Survival International is the umbrella organization for BOS affiliates and supporting organizations worldwide. The BOS affiliates (National Member Organization) are all supporting the projects carried out and managed by BOS Foundation in Indonesia. In respect to the need for financial support to run these projects, BOS International is supporting its National Member Organizations with tools to conduct fundraising. BOS International also supports its members and partners with news and updates from BOS Foundation's projects in Indonesian Borneo, Kalimantan.
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