Orangutans are critically endangered great apes whose survival is directly threatened by palm oil-driven deforestation. Their welfare in the wild and in rescue centres is central to conservation efforts.
Orangutans displaced by deforestation suffer multiple simultaneous welfare harms: loss of habitat and food, physical injury during land clearance, and social disruption. Orphaned infants captured after their mothers are killed suffer profound psychological trauma. Rehabilitation is a lengthy and intensive process — young orangutans must learn foraging, nest building, and social skills that they would normally acquire over years with their mothers. Even successfully rehabilitated individuals face continuing habitat pressures after release. The welfare and conservation crisis for orangutans is directly driven by consumer demand for products containing palm oil.