Love animals? Here’s how you can help endangered orangutans from disappearing from the face of the earth
By Arwa Lodhi
The word ‘orangutan‘ means ‘man of the forest’ in Malay, and with good reason: these red-haired fellows are completely human-like in their behaviour. Compassionate, funny, shy and tranquil, they are currently critically endangered due to rampant illegal logging and land reclamation for estates in their native Indonesia.
Their decline has been caused primarily by human activity, especially the conversion of forest to palm oil plantations and timber estates, which is putting the very existence of the orangutan under threat. Palm oil is mainly to blame. This is the cheap and versatile oil that’s used in everything from cookies and soap to fast foods and sodas. Some of the worst offenders for buying large quantities of palm oil include Starbucks (who use it in their muffins), Frito Lay (who use it in Pepsi products and chips like Doritos) and Lever Brothers detergents.
Environmental groups like Greenpeace are calling on consumers to check the labels of any snacks they buy, and to boycott companies like those mentioned above until they agree to phase out their use of palm oil. Adding to the pressure on the orangutan, mining, clearing forest for property development, and road construction, and large-scale fires are also serious problems that may cause these wonderful creatures to become extinct.
Endangered Orangutans: An Unfolding Tragedy
Additionally, and perhaps most tragically, the illegal animal trade has been a factor in the decline of wild orangutan populations: mothers are killed so babies can be taken to zoos and sometimes captured to be trained for despicable ‘ape boxing’ matches, a popular novelty in South East Asia. They are also occasionally hunted and even eaten by some of the indigenous peoples of Borneo as well as migrant loggers and plantation workers who have no qualms about consuming primates.
At one time, the world’s wild orangutan populations likely included upward of hundreds of thousands, but during the past decade, populations have decreased by about 50% in the wild. Currently, the IUNC has classified the Bornean orangutan as Endangered, and the Sumatran orangutan as Critically Endangered.
Without drastic intervention, orangutans may soon be extinct. It would be a terrible tragedy if these gentle giants disappeared from the earth. They are surprisingly kind and intelligent. In fact, they’re so smart, they’ve developed their own kind of ‘sign’ language naturally, and some apes kept in captivity for research have been taught over 140 ‘human’ words and string these together to be quite communicative, indicating complex emotions such as curiosity, mistrust – and even gratitude.
Now For Some Good News!
Recently, there’s been some great news about helping these beautiful animals. There’s finally a way to tell if the ingredients in food and beauty products is hurting orangutans or not, thanks to the Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme (POFCAP). So far, this has been launched in both Australia and the UK, with a further 14 nations with pending applications. The program is working hard to ensure consumers will be visually aware as to whether or not a product contains palm oil. As with ‘vegan’ labels, there will be a certification trademark on a product’s packaging, giving conscious consumers the peace of mind knowing there’s no nasty palm oil inside.
And there’s more good news, too! Any funds donated to POFCAP will be placed back into future projects with the aim of making the world a better place for both our rainforests and its animals.
You can help save endangered orangutans by firstly, ensuring that nothing you buy – be it soap, snacks or sodas – contains palm oil. Then, visit www.orangutan.org and pledge your support. Every little bit helps!
Images by www.orangutan.org and Wikicommons
- 20 Surprising Facts About Your Hair You Never Knew - Apr 13, 2021
- WIN A Unisex Black Hoodie By #TOGETHERBAND - Apr 10, 2021
- Iron Rich Vegan Recipes Popeye Would Love - Apr 5, 2021
This site uses affiliate links with brands we trust, and if you make a purchase using a link, we may receive a commission.
Did you enjoy this post? Want to show your gratitude? Please support us on Patreon!
3 Comments
Get Snacking! 30 Savoury Vegan Snack Recipes - Eluxe Magazine
Mar 11, 2020 at 7:22 pm[…] not only bad for our health (thanks to MSG), they’re terrible for the environment (thanks to palm oil)! But now, it’s possible to revive those childhood flavours with these guilt-free […]
100% Palm Oil Free Beauty Brands We Love - Eluxe Magazine
Jan 8, 2019 at 11:22 am[…] It’s also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of animals, and is pushing the orangutan to the brink of […]
41 Paleo and Vegan Pumpkin Recipes To Die For - Eluxe Magazine
Oct 1, 2018 at 11:14 am[…] These chewy, soft cookies are extremely moreish! But please note one thing – any time the recipe calls for palm oil or palm sugar – please substitute for coconut oil and coconut sugar. The recipe allows for it, they taste even better with it, and best of all, coconut foods don’t kill orangutans and rainforests! […]