I felt so lucky to get to see these incredible animals in the wild.
While I saw orangutans in Sumatra, they actually live on two islands in the world--Sumatra and Borneo. They live in high jungles where they have plenty of trees to climb, fruit to eat, and room to make nests for sleeping. However, the climate in which they live is the only place humans can grow palm oil trees, and because of this many food companies buy land in the area, cut down all the trees, and replace them with oil palms. Orangutans are losing their habitat so quickly and we need to act fast to save them!
Orangutans are specially adapted to live in trees. Unless they were raised in captivity (like those rescued from poachers), they never need to come down to the ground. They eat only leaves and shoots that grow high up, or fruits at the tops of trees. One cool thing about living in trees ("being arboreal") is that orangutans don't need to drink water--they get all the moisture they need from their food.
We are very worried about orangutans because their homes are in danger of being destroyed to make room for palm oil plantations. Orangutan numbers are dropping fast--we need to act immediately to save them. This means refusing to buy items that are made with palm oil. It can be tough to know what these are, and so many products have it. There are apps and websites to help you learn!
