Orangutans face existential threat from palm oil deforestation and the pet trade, with rehabilitation centres providing welfare relief to rescued individuals.
Orangutans orphaned through habitat destruction and the pet trade experience profound psychological trauma from maternal separation during the critical developmental period. These infant apes require years of intensive surrogate care and rehabilitation before they can survive independently. Adults killed or injured in human-wildlife conflict suffer from encounters with plantation workers who view them as crop pests. The cumulative welfare burden on orangutan populations from habitat loss, conflict and the illegal pet trade is immense. Rehabilitation centres provide crucial welfare relief but cannot keep pace with the rate of habitat destruction.