The fight for survival of the orangutan, one of the rarest animals on the planet

SumatraWe spotted him perched on a tree, a thick head of reddish fur with very long arms moving leisurely from one branch to the other. With rapt eyes, we watched as the male orangutan descended the trunk, his feet clasped like hands, his body hanging like a trapeze artist's; confident, slow movements, nothing like the hustle and bustle of other apes. He touched the ground and began to walk on all fours a few meters from us. Enormous, majestic, indolent, he let us admire him for a few more moments before disappearing into the forest. We remained motionless, excited, savoring the image in silence. We had seen him! We had been able to contemplate one of the rarest and most endangered animals on the planet: the orangutan, which in Malay means "man of the forest." Pongo Abelii, according to the taxonomy.

Scientists say that humans and orangutans share 98% of the genome. They are among the most intelligent primates; they have been observed using tools to obtain food or cross rivers, using plants to heal themselves, or using leaves to amplify the sound of their mouths to intimidate rivals. It has also been discovered that they have a gestural code that we could call a language to communicate with each other; they even make vocalizations similar to laughter when they play, chase each other, and tickle each other.

Unlike humans and other apes, orangutans do not live in groups; they are basically solitary. They are with their mother for the first eight years of life. The father does not intervene in their upbringing; they learn everything from her: how to navigate the treetops, which fruits or leaves to eat, which to avoid, how to make their nest to sleep in... After this period, the adults spend most of their time alone. They can survive for more than thirty years, and males can weigh up to ninety kilos and grow to a height of one and a half meters.

The orangutan is the only great ape that inhabits Asia. Its habitat once extended across the jungles of China, Vietnam, and Java, but now they are only found in northern Sumatra and Borneo, and their numbers are dwindling every year. It is difficult to establish the current population, but there are estimates that just over 50,000 remain. The main reason for this spectacular decline is habitat loss due to industrial-scale agriculture, and especially palm oil production. Thousands and thousands of hectares of tropical forests in Indonesia and Malaysia have been cleared to plant palm trees to produce this oil, which is so sought after in the food and cosmetics industries, and as a biofuel. This large-scale expansion of human activity has also resulted in an increase in poaching to eliminate animals that invade crops.

Inside a protected sanctuary

Oil palm plantations reach the very gates of Gunung Leuser National Park, a protected sanctuary of more than seven thousand square kilometers located in the north of the island of Sumatra, where the male orangutan we marveled at lives. "They even plant on land within the National Park," Fajar, the official guide who accompanied us on the tour, tells us angrily. "The authorities turn a blind eye; everyone looks the other way," he exclaims indignantly.

The Indonesian authorities not only look the other way, but they also jealously protect an industry that is vital to the country's economy, which generated more than $39 billion in 2023 and employs 17 million people, as Indonesia is the world's leading exporter.

Walking around Batu Katak, a village located on the threshold of Gunung Leuser National Park, we can see this. We walk along a narrow road amidst thousands of palm trees lined up. We meet some workers carrying around a pile of freshly picked bunches. Each pile of red walnuts is lifted with a hook—they seem to be quite heavy—and loaded onto the back of a truck. We exchange a few polite greetings with them, trying to find out if they work independently for others, but we can't understand each other. We say goodbye with smiles.

Further along, continuing along the same road lined with palm trees, a motorcycle stops and Samuel heads off. In Sumatra, everyone is eager to practice their English with the foreigners they meet. Samuel works at one of the few hotels in the area, a native of the region, and explains that working in the palm fields is much more productive than working on the old rubber plantations; it requires less dedication, since it's not necessary to collect the milk from the trees every morning. Many farmers have converted their land because there's less work involved in production, making it more profitable. Every ten or fifteen days, the palm tree has a herd of ripe, red nuts ready to be harvested and taken to the mill. There are plantations where working conditions are very good, Samuel points out. The government provides housing for the laborers and also free schooling for the first two children; that's why small housing developments for palm oil workers are proliferating everywhere.

Securing the future

This overwhelming expansion of human activity is driving wildlife backward. Habitat reduction is causing populations of orangutans, and other critically endangered animals such as the Malayan tiger, the pangolin, and the Sumatran rhinoceros, to become fragmented and isolated. For orangutans to survive in the wild, it is vital that sufficient forest remains to provide them with food. More than 300 varieties of fruit are part of their diet, and they need the ability to move from one plot to another to ensure reproductive opportunities and genetic diversity.

Ensuring that these vital needs are respected and guaranteed is Batu Kapal Conservation, a foundation founded by an Australian couple in 2013. It works in a wildlife buffer zone on private land adjacent to Gunung Leuser National Park, a World Heritage Site.

We contacted them, and via email they explained that their goal is to create a wildlife corridor between the National Park and private lands to reconnect orangutan habitats. They have a volunteer program in which the area, habitats, trees, and animal routes are monitored and mapped with GPS to compile a comprehensive list of fauna and flora species. The Batu Kapal project also seeks to promote agricultural and ecotourism activities in the area with minimal impact on the territory, including reforestation and tree nursery programs, English and training courses for women and children, and environmental awareness for the local population.

Unfortunately, Batu Kapal Conservation is a mere anecdote. Despite the fact that Indonesia's conservation law, which explicitly prohibits harming, capturing, or trading orangutans, was enacted thirty years ago, its enforcement is minimal, prison sentences are meager, and fines are ridiculous. It's clear that wildlife protection is not a priority for the Indonesian government, like so many others around the world. Orangutans won't have an easy time surviving in the world unless humans' predatory, extractive mentality changes.