Every year thousands of orangutans are killed and hundreds of others are left as homeless orphans. Their rainforest habitat on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Logging, uncontrolled fires and above all palm oil plantations, are responsible for the deforestation and devastation which is driving the orangutan to the brink of extinction.
Orangutan Aid was founded by Mara McCaffery in Hong Kong, in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of the orangutan in the wild, and the wider implication this has for the world. The destruction of rainforest in southeast asia and other rainforests across the globe, is responsible for about 20% of the world’s greenhouse gasses, the major factor contributing to global warming and climate change.
The orangutan can be seen as a symbol of our legacy to future generations. If the orangutan becomes extinct, it means we will have lost not only one of man’s closest relatives, but also thousands of other species which exist in this biodiversity. In addition one of the most effective forms of carbon absorption on the planet, being the tropical and peat rainforests, will have been destroyed. Is that really what we want for our children?
Orangutan Aid supports those organisations working to save the orangutan from extinction. This includes those who rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and displaced orangutans, and those working to save their habitat.
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