Orangutans are critically threatened by palm oil expansion and deforestation, with welfare consequences that extend from habitat loss to the trauma of human-wildlife conflict and capture.
Orangutan welfare is devastated by deforestation in ways that go beyond habitat loss. When forests are burned or cleared, orangutans face direct mortality, severe burns, and traumatic displacement. Those entering plantations face being hacked with machetes by workers who see them as crop pests. Infants whose mothers are killed face profound psychological trauma — infant orangutans remain bonded to their mothers for 7+ years, the longest dependency of any non-human animal. Rehabilitation of traumatized, orphaned orangutans requires years of intensive care to develop the skills for wild survival. Consumer choices around palm oil are one of the most direct welfare interventions available to individuals.