Orangutan Welfare: Palm Oil Deforestation and the Road to Extinction

Bornean and Sumatran orangutans face extinction from deforestation for palm oil plantations, logging, and hunting.

Key Facts

Bornean orangutan populations declined by over 50 percent between 1999 and 2015
Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered with fewer than 14,000 individuals
Indonesia and Malaysia together produce over 85 percent of the worlds palm oil
Orangutans require large areas of continuous forest and cannot survive in plantation landscapes
Orangutan mothers invest 8 to 9 years raising each offspring meaning population recovery is extremely slow

Welfare Considerations

Orangutans face welfare harm from habitat destruction that eliminates food sources and fragments populations. Animals displaced by logging and plantation development are killed when they enter agricultural areas. Rescue centres care for orphaned infants but reunification with wild populations is extremely difficult. Captive orangutans in tourist entertainment face chronic welfare abuse from performance training. The slow reproductive rate means each individual lost takes decades to replace.

What You Can Do

Choose palm oil products with RSPO certification that requires no deforestation
Avoid palm oil where possible or campaign for brands to fully commit to sustainable sourcing
Support Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation rehabilitation and forest protection
Boycott wildlife entertainment operations using orangutans in performances
Donate to Sumatran Orangutan Society which protects remaining Sumatran forest habitat