The Orangutan
The Orangutan...click for snapshotThe only great ape that lives on the Asian continent, the orangutan is found on the Malaysian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Its name means "person of the forest," and it is one of thousands of species of wildlife that live in tropical Asian forests.
The orangutan's story is similar to that of a large number of Asian animals: its forest habitat is being rapidly destroyed by conversion to agriculture, both by large commercial plantations and smaller subsistence farms. At the same time, humans are killing the orangutans prey species (birds and small mammals) for food and capturing it for the pet trade.
Estimates vary as to how many orangutans remain in the wild, but experts agreed they are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, orangutans are in danger of becoming extinct in the wild in as little as 10 years.
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