World Orangutan Day August 18, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: nature, Orangutans, photography, travel, wildlife, World Orangutan Day, zoo babies, zoocation, Zoos
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Tomorrow is World Orangutan Day. I am fascinated by these beautiful, smart, strong apes. It was fun going through my old photos from visits to the Toledo Zoo, National Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Cleveland Metropark Zoo and Sedgwick County Zoo to find my favorites orangutan photos. World Orangutan Day is a day every year when conservationists, wildlife organizations, and individuals around the world highlight the plight of orangutans and the horrors of the exotic pet trade and widespread deforestation. Here are 6 facts about these apes.
- There are three species of orangutans: Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli orangutans. All are critically endangered
- Orangutans mainly eat fruit and are essential for dispersing seeds across the rainforest, helping the wider ecosystem flourish. They are known as gardeners of the forest.
- For every captive orangutan sold in the exotic pet market, up to 11 other orangutans are killed while trying to protect the poached ape. Many captive animals also don’t survive the journey.
- Female orangutans only have a baby every seven or eight years, the longest time between births of any mammal.
- Wild orangutans use plants to treat joint and muscle inflammation, just like local people.
- Widespread deforestation, logging, oil palm plantations, human conflict, and the illegal pet trade are the most significant threats to orangutans in modern times.
While at the Zoo 
Beautiful!
I recently learned that orangutan is from the Indonesian words “orang” (person) “hutan” (forest) – the person of the forest.
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Yes, that is true. Glad to see you subscribed and hope you are well.
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How about all humans dye our hair red tomorrow for their cause? Thanks for the info. And for the lovely captures – so fun are they! 🙂
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