I firmly believe that if a person wants to co-exist with nature and animals, they simply must do whatever it takes to first get themselves familiar with how everything works. Unfortunately, a vast majority of kids are not too interested in these things. They would rather spend their time on the computer and cell phone […]
Tag: Orangutan
Ebola-like African primate viruses ‘poised for spillover’ to humans, study finds
A family of viruses that can cause fatal Ebola-like symptoms that is also a critical threat to macaque populations is now “poised for spillover” to humans, a new report reveals. The study, published in September in the journal Cell, reveals that the animal virus has found ways to access human cells, multiply and evade parts […]
What can Half or Whole Earth conservation strategies do for orangutans?
Orangutans, like most of the world’s great apes, are struggling. Their numbers continue to drop as their habitat disappears, or they’re killed by humans for food, out of fear or for self-defense. And it’s happening despite an estimated $1 billion in spending on concerted orangutan conservation efforts since 2000. The ongoing slide has left biologists […]
Young Orangutan Kidnapped and Forced to Live in Chicken Coop is Given Second Chance
Baby orangutans are prized possessions on the illegal black market, where many other critically endangered species are trafficked. Aman is just one of many infant orangutans who were stolen from their mothers in the past couple of years, but his story highlights the extent of the illegal wildlife trade and the trauma that young orangutans […]
The mass movement of people to Indonesia’s new capital threatens endangered orangutans
Borneo, a tropical island off the coast of Southeast Asia, was formerly one of the world’s most inaccessible locations. It is the only area in the world where orangutans exist in the wild, along with Sumatra. The deep tropical jungles of Borneo are known as “Paru-Paru Dunia,” which translates to “lungs of the earth.” Deforestation […]
Lean times leave orangutans wasting away. Habitat loss makes things worse
JAKARTA — Orangutans in Borneo have been found to physically waste away when fruit is scarce — a finding with dire implications as human-driven climate change and the destruction of their habitat put their food supply under even greater threat. In a study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers collected and analyzed urine […]
In Malaysian Borneo’s rainforests, powerful state governments set their own rules
Famed for its caves and karst ecosystems, Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysian Borneo’s Sarawak state is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to more than 81 mammal species, 270 varieties of bird and more than 130 reptiles and amphibians. In 2018, a wave of protest erupted when the public learned that the Sarawak government […]
Coronavirus is a Threat to Endangered Primates
Research found that endangered primates including the Sumatran orangutan and western lowland gorilla are vulnerable to coronavirus infection because of shared genetic similarities to humans. Like the tigers at the Bronx zoo that likely caught the coronavirus from zookeepers, scientists say the potential for humans to give the virus to endangered animals is likely. Study […]