Fauna Journal Entry
More Orangutans Found in Indonesia (May 11, 2009)
More orangutans was found in Indonesia recently. Wikipedia.
A large population of orangutans was found recently in the mountain forests of Indonesia's island of Borneo. More than 200 orangutan nests were discovered as conservationists surveyed the island's eastern edge. Scientists estimate that number of nests could support as many as 2,000 of the endangered primates.
There are between 50,000 and 60,000 orangutans left in the wild. Ninety percent are found in Indonesia, with smaller groups in neighboring Malaysia. In recent decades, the orangutan population has plunged. Habitat loss gets most of the blame. Vast stretches of forest habitat have been chopped down and replaced with profitable palm oil plantations. The newly-discovered population survived in a steep, remote area not suitable for development.
Most orangutan groups are small and scattered in geograpical pockets far apart. This makes the population especially at-risk to extinction. Wildlife experts say the primates could be wiped out within twenty years without a strong push to protect the habitat they have left.
