Losing the orangutan.There are only about 20,000 orangutans left in the world, and their numbers are dwindling dwin·dle v. dwin·dled, dwin·dling, dwin·dles v.intr. To become gradually less until little remains. v.tr. To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. rapidly. The Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) is the rarer of the two species of orangutans. Living and endemic to Sumatra island of Indonesia, they are smaller than the Bornean Orangutan. The Sumatran Orangutan grows to about 4.6 feet tall and 200 pounds in males. Society suggests that the animals may be extinct in the wild Extinct in the Wild (EW) is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range. within 10 years. The "man of the woods" once spread across Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. , but is now limited to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The orangutan's chances of survival are hindered by the growing global market for timber and agricultural products, which have driven loggers and plantation owners to rapidly eradicate the apes' forest habitat (see "Connecting the Dots," Features, November/December 2004). The illegal pet trade also threatens the orangutan's future. According to the Balikpapan Orangutan orangutan (ōrăng`  tăn), an ape, Pongo pygmaeus, found in swampy coastal forests of Borneo and Sumatra. Society, "it is estimated that four to five orangutans are killed for every baby reaching the market." As many as 100 orangutan babies are sold as pets in Indonesia each year. Atypical orangutan female gives birth only once every seven to eight years, making any population increase a challenge. It's not completely hopeless. Willie Smit of the Balikpapan Orangutan Survival Foundation has also set up the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Center, which houses orangutans recovered from the illegal trade and helps reintroduce them to the wild. CONTACT: Sumatran Orangutan Society, www.orangutans-sos.org. |
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