World Orangutan Day

World Orangutan Day 2025 highlights the urgent need to save orangutans, rainforests, and the planet.

About World Orangutan Day

• Observed annually on August 19 to raise awareness on orangutan conservation.
• 2025 Message : “Save the orangutans, save the rainforest, save the planet.”

About Orangutans

• The word “Orangutan” derives from Malay words ‘Orang’( person) and ‘Hutan’(forest), meaning “person of the forest.”
• They are great apes and our closest relatives after chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, sharing 97% DNA with humans.
• Three species: Sumatran (Pongo abelii), Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus) and Tapanuli (Pongo tapanuliensis).
• Habitat and Distribution: Found only in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
  • Distributed in Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei).
• Diet: Fruit makes up about 60% of the orangutan’s diet.
  • They also eat young leaves and shoots, insects, soil, tree bark, and occasionally eggs and small vertebrates.
• Unique Features
  • Morphology: Long arms, reddish hair, high intelligence.
  • Tool-using ability: Known to use sticks, leaves, and branches for foraging and protection.
  • Cognitive traits: Exhibit emotions like jealousy, sulkiness, and affection, similar to humans.
  • Darwin’s observation: Orangutan demonstrated child-like tantrums, tool use, and understanding of human language.
• Conservation Status: All three species are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
  • Threats include deforestation, palm oil plantations, forest fires, and the illegal pet trade.

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