World Orangutan Day 2025
Syllabus: IUCN, Imp. Days (UPSC Prelims)
Source: DTE
Context:
August 19 is observed as World Orangutan Day to spread awareness about orangutan conservation amid threats like habitat loss, poaching, and illegal pet trade.
About World Orangutan Day
- Observed Since: 2013, initiated by global conservation groups.
- Date: 19th August every year.
- 2025 Theme/Message: Save the orangutans, save the rainforest, save the planet.
- Objective: Highlight the impact of deforestation, palm oil cultivation, logging, and wildlife trafficking on orangutans.
About Orangutans
- What They Are: Great apes, closest relatives to humans after chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas; share 97% DNA with humans.
- Etymology: From Malay—Orang = person, Hutan = forest → “Person of the forest.”
Types of Orangutans
- Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) – Critically Endangered.
- Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) – Critically Endangered.
- Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) – Discovered in 2017, rarest species (<1,000 left).
Habitat & Features
- Found only in Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei).
- Arboreal species: Longest arms among primates for swinging across trees.
- Diet: Primarily fruits (60–90%), also leaves, bark, insects, bird eggs.
- Intelligence: Use tools, exhibit planning, memory, empathy.
- Reproduction: Very slow; females give birth once every 6–8 years → major challenge for conservation.
Conservation Concerns
- IUCN Status: All three species Critically Endangered.
- Threats:
- Deforestation & palm oil plantations.
- Logging & habitat loss.
- Illegal hunting & pet trade.
- Climate change impact.
