Sumatran Orangutan

The Sumatran orangutan can only be found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The IUCN now lists them as severely endangered, with a little less than 14,000 specimens remaining in the wild.

Sumatran orangutans share a lot of things with their Bornean and Tapanuli cousins. The main one is that they have to suffer similar risks. From deforestation and agricultural plantations to rising infrastructure developments and the illegal pet trade, these are just a few of the factors that lead to the extinction of these animals.

Orangutans require vast areas of connected forest to survive, yet between 1985 and 2007, these big primates lost 60% of their natural forests. Most of these orangutans are now located in the Leuser Ecosystem, which encompasses tropical lowland rainforests and humid peatland swamps on Sumatra’s northernmost point.