Monday, August 24, 2009

Tell Me Why? WHY??

Some of you wondered why did the orangutan become endangered.
WHY?
Here's the reason..
(we are actually part of the reasons. tsk tsk tsk...)

Firstly, the orangutan's forest habitat is being cleared for agriculture. Oil palm plantations are taking over more and more of the landscape. Most of the lowland forest on Borneo and Sumatra is gone, and orangutans and other forest species are being forced into higher elevation forests. These forests are not as productive as lowland forests and cannot support the same density of animals. The palm trees are the only trees that can support their weight of 118kg, this means there are less orangutans around because either they sleep on the ground and are killed or they find another tree and it breaks and they fall out and die.

cutting down trees Pictures, Images and Photos

Logging brings another problem for the orangutans: logging roads make forests more accessible. Poachers come into the forest on logging roads, shoot mother orangutans, and capture the babies. Baby orangutans are very desirable as pets in Asia. It is estimated that for every orangutan that makes it into the pet trade, 4 or 5 die. Some fall to the forest floor when their mother is killed, others succumb to human disease, malnourishment or maltreatment in the hands of traders.

When baby orangutans grow up, they become difficult pets, and owners often ask officials to take them away. Many orangutans raised as pets suffer from disease, and they are not suited to living in the wild. Some can be taught to live in the wild, but rehabilitation is a long and expensive process.

So, is there any future for them?

THINK AGAIN
We can make a difference.

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