World Orangutan Day

When is World Orangutan Day?

World Orangutan Day is a global event that takes place on the 19th of August every year. It’s an opportunity to show off just how spectacular these animals really are and to raise awareness of the dangers they face.

What is World Orangutan Day?

World Orangutan Day is a day every year when conservationists, wildlife organisations, and individuals around the world highlight the plight of orangutans and the horrors of the exotic pet trade and widespread deforestation.

It’s also a chance to celebrate orangutans, showing people their unique characteristics and mannerisms.

6 facts about orangutans

1. There are three species of orangutans: Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli orangutans. All are critically endangered 
2. Orangutans mainly eat fruit and are essential for dispersing seeds across the rainforest, helping the wider ecosystem flourish. They are known as gardeners of the forest.
3. For every captive orangutan sold in the exotic pet market, up to 11 other orangutans are killed while trying to protect the poached ape. Many captive animals also don’t survive the journey.
4. Female orangutans only have a baby every seven or eight years, the longest time between births of any mammal.
5. Wild orangutans use plants to treat joint and muscle inflammation, just like local people.
6. Widespread deforestation, logging, oil palm plantations, human conflict, and the illegal pet trade are the most significant threats to orangutans in modern times. 

Why Orangutans are endangered

All three species of orangutan are critically endangered. There are only around 104,700 Bornean orangutans, 14,000 Sumatran orangutans, and 800 Tapauli orangutans living in the wild and these populations are diminishing.

Habitat loss and deforestation

One of the biggest threats to orangutans is habitat loss. Their treetop dwellings are being destroyed to make space for agriculture, especially palm oil plantations.

Human-wildlife conflict

As they live primarily on fruit and other plants, orangutans come into conflict with humans when they try to feed on farms or plantations. Many are hunted and killed as a result.

Illegal pet trade

Orangutans are also popular in the illegal pet trade, despite being wild animals who cannot thrive in these settings. Capturing baby orangutans almost always means killing the mother, further reducing orangutan populations.

Join our fight against the exploitation and commodification of wild animals. Can you lend your voice? 

Orangutan FAQS

What do oranutans eat?

Orangutans prefer to eat mostly fruit, but they will eat all parts of plants, tree bark, and small insects. When their habitat is taken over by palm oil plantations, they’ll eat the palm fronds and fruit.

Are orangutans monkeys?

Orangutans aren’t actually monkeys. Instead, they’re known as ‘great apes’. This puts them in the same category as gorillas and chimpanzees. 

What do orangutans look like?

Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals, which partially explains their unusual appearance. Their arms are significantly longer than their legs, making it easy for them to swing through the branches.

Orangutans are covered with long orange or reddish hair and have large jaws and small, flattened noses.

Can orangutans swim?

Orangutans are normally afraid of water because of the snakes and crocodiles they might encounter. They also have very dense, muscular bodies, which makes them sink in water. They’re more likely to create bridges by bending young trees to let them cross rivers.

Where are orangutans located?

Orangutans only live in Sumatra and Borneo. They prefer to live in rainforest regions with plenty of tree cover. They spend almost all of their time in the tree canopy, rarely coming to ground level.