Welcome to the inaugural edition of “Save This Species” — a column that lets people advocating for, or working with, a rare of interesting plant or animal share their stories and passions. We launch this column with my own entry, revealing one of the reasons so much of my journalism focuses on orangutans:
Species name:
Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), one of the world’s three orangutan species.
IUCN Red List status:
Description:
These famously orange-haired great apes stand about 5 and a half feet tall when full grown — not that they stand all that often. They spend most of their time in the trees; when they’re on the ground, they tend to use all four limbs to ambulate. The older males grow their famous cheek flanges (that’s the puffy, fleshy bits that encircle their faces).
Where they’re found:
The north end of the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia. Most remain in Aceh Province, although a few small and potentially unviable populations persist on other parts of the island.
Why they’re at risk:
It’s hard to be an arboreal species when the trees you live in and depend on (the word “orangutan” means “people of the forest”) keep getting chopped down to make way for plantations (mostly palm oil), logging, mining, and other human activities. Work crews have been known to kill adult orangutans to get them out of the way and then sell their infant offspring into the illegal pet trade.
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My favorite experience:
In 2015 I met and “interviewed” a 55-year-old Sumatran orangutan named Inji, who at the time was the world’s oldest known member of her species. Originally a victim of the pet trade, she’d been living at Oregon Zoo in Portland since 1961. During the interview her keepers showed me how they made sure she got plenty of exercise and social engagement to keep her both physically and mentally healthy (lessons I’m taking to heart now that I’ve reached that same age). She moved a bit stiffly, sure, but she had a lot of character and took great interest in my interest in her. She didn’t belong in captivity, but there was no going back after her time in the pet trade, and she served as a wonderful ambassador for her species.
Inji died in 2021 at age 61, having lived longer than any other orangutan on record.
I’ve written about orangutans dozens of times since meeting her, and they remain my favorite primate species — if not my favorite species of all. Meeting Inji and writing about the journey that brought her from Sumatra to Oregon helped to cement that appreciation and push my journalism to further protect them.
What do we need to do to protect this species?
The world needs to exert more pressure on Indonesia to slow or stop deforestation.
What you can do to help:
It can be hard to directly protect a species on the other side of the world, but there are a few steps anyone can take to help Sumatran orangutans (or other orangutan species).
First off, don’t buy any foods containing palm oil. Deforestation for palm-oil plantations has exploded over the past decade or so and now threatens a much wider range of species, but forgoing this ingredient is a good step toward protecting orangutans and other wildlife. (It’s also high in saturated fat, so skipping it is probably a good idea anyway.)
Second, don’t buy furniture or other products containing Indonesian wood. Sustainable certification programs exist and could theoretically label lumber from Sumatra as sustainable, but why take that risk?
Third, if you suspect a corporation is selling products that put orangutans at risk, write to them to complain.
Finally, we can support on-the-ground efforts to protect orangutans, either by donating or spreading the word about their efforts (yes, we can still use social media for good). I’ve interviewed experts from several notable organizations over the years, including the Sumatran Orangutan Society, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, and Orangutan Outreach. Many of these organizations help support orphaned orangutans or other rescued apes, a sadly important part of the mission of preserving these species for future generations.
Do you have a story about species advocacy or conservation to share? Here’s how to write your own “Save This Species” entry.
