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In pictures: In the palm of our hands, orangutans on their special International Orangutan Day

Posted by Angela Glienicke - 19th August 2016


Every year on the 19th August the orangutan gets its own special day. One of the renowned victims of the palm oil industry the orangutans are threatened with extinction due to the destruction of the tropical rainforest. The population of the Sumatran orangutan in the wild is thought to have fallen by more than 50% from 1992-2000, due to the degradation of their habitat.

The orangutans, who for the first few years hold tight to their mother’s body as she moves through the forest canopy, can live up to 45 years in the wild.

They sleep in daily-made nests in the trees and their preferred food is a spiky fruit called Durian. Our images illustrate their habitat and some of the threats they face.

Let’s ensure the orangutans are saved and deforestation rates decline, take action here.

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Young Orangutans hugging in Nyaru Menteng Orangutan reintroduction project near Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan

© Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace 2007

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Open peatland forest canopy at the borders of the Sebangau National Park in Katingan, Central Kalimantan.

© Ulet  Ifansasti / Greenpeace 2015

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Nyaru Menteng Orang-Utan reintroduction project near Palanga Raya, Kalimantan/Borneo.

© Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace 2007

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Close up of orangutan. The decline of orangutan populations in Sumatra and Borneo has been driven by the destruction of their rainforest habitat, mainly due to the expansion of pulpwood and oil palm plantations.

© Tom  Jefferson / Greenpeace 2013

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Smoke rising from peatland at the border of the PT Berkat Nabati Sejahtera (IOI Group) oil palm concession in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

© Ulet  Ifansasti / Greenpeace 2015

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Oil palm seedlings in a nursery within the PT Bumi Sawit Sejahtera (IOI) oil palm concession in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

© Ulet  Ifansasti / Greenpeace 2016

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A baby orangutan plays at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS).

The clearing of the land for palm oil is a threat to wildlife in the area, including these orangutans that have been rescued because their natural habitat has been destroyed.

© Natalie Behring / Behring 2007

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A rescued 7 month old orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) named Otan under the custody of the Conservation and Natural Resources (BKSDA), an orangutan rehabilitation centre in Sungai Ambawang Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan.

The baby orangutan was rescued from forest fires while drinking water from a river in an oil palm plantation near the village of Linga, Sungai Ambawang Kubu Raya.

© Galih Nofrio Nanda / Greenpeace 2015

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Nyaru Menteng Orang-Utan reintroduction project near Palanga Raya, Kalimantan/Borneo. Young Orang Utan hanging on a liana.

© Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace 2007

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Baby orangutans play at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS).

The clearing of the land for palm oil is a threat to wildlife in the area, including these orangutans that have been rescued because their natural habitat has been destroyed.

© Natalie Behring / Greenpeace 2007

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A policeman shakes the hand of a Greenpeace “orangutan” outside the Port of Tauranga after activists boarded East Ambition to block a shipment of palm kernel animal feed from Indonesia as the ship entered Tauranga Port with palm kernel destined for Fonterra dairy farms, 16 September 2009.

© Greenpeace / Nigel Marple 2009

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An orangutan is seen here on Kaja Island.

© Christian Aslund / Greenpeace 2008

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Claiming land for Sinar Mas concession for Kartika Prima Cipta in Sentarum.

© Ardiles Rante / Greenpeace 2010