DESCRIPTION

The Bornean orangutan, also known as ‘person of the forest’ in the Malay language, is one of the three known orangutan species. While the Bornean orangutan is found on the island of Borneo, the other two species live in Sumatra. They are the largest tree-living mammal in the world. Additionally, they are known to be highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinctive culture in the wild.

Bornean orangutans have a distinctive body shape with coarse, long hair that can be orange, brown, or maroon. Also, they have powerful, long arms with grasping hands and feet for climbing and travelling through the forest canopy. Hence, Bornean orangutans spend most of their lives high in the treetops.

Additionally, the Bornean orangutan is generally a solitary animal, although they can come together to mate. After birth, the infant stays with its mother for up to 7–9 years, remaining strongly dependent on her. Therefore, they have an extremely low reproductive rate. This means that their population can take a long time to recover from population decline or crashes.

At present, there are about 104,000 individuals left in the wild, but their numbers are sharply declining. Once found in great numbers, this gentle great ape can now only be found in fragmented, small numbers on the island of Borneo. Current threats to the surviving population include illegal logging, intentional forest fires for clearing land, illegal poaching, and the pet trade.

Find out how to help orangutans and where to see them in Borneo ethically.