How are oil palm plantations contributing to the extinction of orangutans and other endangered animal species?
Endangered Animals
The establishment of Palm oil plantations are contributing to the deforestation of animal habitats, leaving the animals critically endangered and in fear of extinction.
In Kalimantan alone (Indonesia Borneo) 51 animal species are facing extinction due to the enormous conversion of forests into oil palm plantations. Critically endangered species due to oil palm deforestation include the Pygmy Elephant, Sumatran Tiger, Asian Rhinoceros, Sun Bear, Clouded Leopard, Malayan Tapir, Proboscis Monkey, Gibbon and many more.
Orangutans
Surprisingly, over 50 Orang-utan’s are killed every week due to deforestation, their homes are bulldozed, and they have nowhere to go, nowhere to escape and left starved. When the Orang-utan habitat has been destroyed, they often wander onto plantations searching for food, making them vulnerable to poachers. They are run over by equipment, smothered in petrol and burnt alive, captured, tortured, beaten, shot with guns or slaughtered. The orang-utan are considered a pest by many of the oil palm companies as they often destroy young palm plants in the hope of finding food.
Orang-utan poaching is done deliberately as a policy made by palm oil corporations. Therefore they hire local people as pest busters, who serve the corporation with killing any wild animals, including orang-utans. The pest busters will bring a cut-off hand of an orang-utan they have killed and provide it to the corporation as proof. In many cases the palm oil companies place a reward on the orang-utan. The mothers are shot and their babies are sold as they are of value in the illegal pet trade and are kept in captivity in horrendous conditions.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUNC) has classified the Borneo orang-utan as Endangered with approximately 55,000 left with 5,000 killed a year. The Sumatran orang-utan is Critically Endangered with approximately 6,300 left and 1,000 being killed a year.
The establishment of Palm oil plantations are contributing to the deforestation of animal habitats, leaving the animals critically endangered and in fear of extinction.
In Kalimantan alone (Indonesia Borneo) 51 animal species are facing extinction due to the enormous conversion of forests into oil palm plantations. Critically endangered species due to oil palm deforestation include the Pygmy Elephant, Sumatran Tiger, Asian Rhinoceros, Sun Bear, Clouded Leopard, Malayan Tapir, Proboscis Monkey, Gibbon and many more.
Orangutans
Surprisingly, over 50 Orang-utan’s are killed every week due to deforestation, their homes are bulldozed, and they have nowhere to go, nowhere to escape and left starved. When the Orang-utan habitat has been destroyed, they often wander onto plantations searching for food, making them vulnerable to poachers. They are run over by equipment, smothered in petrol and burnt alive, captured, tortured, beaten, shot with guns or slaughtered. The orang-utan are considered a pest by many of the oil palm companies as they often destroy young palm plants in the hope of finding food.
Orang-utan poaching is done deliberately as a policy made by palm oil corporations. Therefore they hire local people as pest busters, who serve the corporation with killing any wild animals, including orang-utans. The pest busters will bring a cut-off hand of an orang-utan they have killed and provide it to the corporation as proof. In many cases the palm oil companies place a reward on the orang-utan. The mothers are shot and their babies are sold as they are of value in the illegal pet trade and are kept in captivity in horrendous conditions.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUNC) has classified the Borneo orang-utan as Endangered with approximately 55,000 left with 5,000 killed a year. The Sumatran orang-utan is Critically Endangered with approximately 6,300 left and 1,000 being killed a year.