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Five great apes exist on earth today, two of them are on the brink of extinction, two are decreasing rapidly in population, and one is the most abundant primate species on earth. Orangutans and gorillas are critically endangered. Chimpanzees and bonobos are endangered. Humans are expanding.
The Bornean orangutan is considered endangered, while the Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans are both critically endangered. Critically endangered means that the species may go extinct from the wild within the next 15 years.
Land-use estimates indicate a potential loss of 4,000 Sumatran orangutans by 2030, and a population decrease of 81% by the year 2060. Tapanuli orangutans have suffered a similar loss of 60% of their natural habitat since 1985, with mining and agriculture accounting for the majority of deforestation and fragmentation.
Deforestation in Sumatra and Borneo is the primary reason for the endangerment of all species of orangutans. Timber is extracted from these areas for the production of palm oil, paper, and pulp.
A century ago there were probably more than 230,000 orangutans in total, but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated at about 104,700 based on updated geographic range (Endangered) and the Sumatran about 7,500 (Critically Endangered). A third species of orangutan was announced in November, 2017.
Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammals and the most socially solitary of the great apes. All three orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and the newly discovered Tapanuli — are critically endangered, primarily due to habitat loss.
Currently, the IUNC has classified the Bornean orangutan as Endangered and the Sumatran orangutan as Critically Endangered. Both species are in severe decline. This means that without drastic intervention, orangutans may soon be extinct as biologically viable populations in the wild.
With no more than 800 individuals in existence, the Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered of all great apes. This new third species lives in North Sumatra, but is genetically and behaviorally distinct from the two other species.
The destruction and degradation of the tropical rain forest, particularly lowland forest, in Borneo and Sumatra is the main reason orangutans are threatened with extinction.
The main threats in today to the survival of orangutans: Loss of habitat through deforestation; Palm oil plantations; Illegal hunting; Illegal pet trade; Orangutans have lost well over 80% of their habitat in the last 20 years, and an estimated one-third of the wild population died during the fires of 1997-98.