The Zoological Society of Florida Miami Metrozoo Teen Volunteer Roots & Shoots Group will be hosting Orangutan Awareness Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 & 16. There will be tables full of biofacts, fun facts, informational displays, interactive games, free temporary tattoos, and more!

Why Orangutans?? It’s hard to imagine, but orangutans may have less 10 years left in the wild before they become extinct! They will be the first great ape to face extinction. If we can’t save this closest animal cousin of ours what hope can there possibly be for all the other endangered animals? Here are just a few facts:

- Orangutans are highly endangered and have less than ten years left in the wild before they become extinct.
- Orangutans share 97% of our DNA and, as one of our closest evolutionary cousins, it is our responsibility to protect these intelligent gentle apes.
- Habitat loss, illegal logging, palm oil plantations, and an illegal pet trade are pushing them toward extinction.

ORANGUTAN ORPHANS
Sadly, many orangutan mothers are killed every year in Indonesia so that their babies can be sold illegally as pets. Many others are killed as their rainforest homes are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations leaving hundreds of helpless orphans. The Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is currently home to over 800 orphaned orangutans. The Center and it’s manager, Lone Droscher Nielsen, are working to save the same orangutans you may have seen on Animal Planet’s series “Orangutan Island’. These are the orphans we are trying to help. All donations received from our event will go toward the adoption of orangutan orphans through Orangutan Outreach (http://redpapes.org) on behalf of the visitors of Miami Metrozoo.

PALM OIL
The biggest threat to orangutans is the clearing of the rainforest to plant palm oil plantations. You may wonder what you can do to help orangutans that live halfway around the world. Products we buy right here at home have a direct impact on the rainforests around the world. Check out the labels on your groceries. You will find palm oil in cookies, shampoo, and many other products. If something isn’t done soon to stop the spread of palm oil plantations, orangutans will have no where to live.

MORE THAN JUST ORANGUTANS
By saving orangutans we are working to save so much more. When forests are logged and burned large amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere contributing to the global warming crisis. Protecting orangutans helps to save many other endangered species that live in the same forest, like tigers, rhinos, gibbons, sun bears and clouded leopards. Borneo is also home to many indigenous tribes with diverse cultures and traditions that are now threatened with the loss of their rainforest homes.

Please join us on Nov. 15-16 and learn how you can HELP SAVE ORANGUTANS and the Rainforests they live in.

Learn more on the Miami Metrozoo website.