Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Orangutans In Trouble as Forests Shrink

Loggers, plantations bring great ape close to extinction

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 5, 2008 5:46 PM CDT

(Newser) – Illegal loggers and palm oil plantations may make the orangutan the first great ape to become extinct, scientists warn. In Indonesia, a mere 6,600 of the apes remain, while on Malaysia’s Borneo Island, the population has fallen 10% to 49,600, the Telegraph... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Telegraph (UK) (Source Grid »)

'Ape crusader' tries to save the day
Sun (UK)

Apes get legal rights in Spain
Christian Science Monitor

World • Green

endangered species • environment • Indonesia • biofuel • palm oil • Malaysia • apes • orangutans

More Newser Stories

Scientists Find Monkeys Thought to Be Extinct

And they weren't even looking for them

(NEWSER) - Scientists have stumbled upon a monkey many thought no longer existed. Seeking leopards and orangutans, the researchers placed camera traps in an Indonesian forest. When they checked the pictures, they were astonished to see images of large gray monkeys none had ever seen before, the AP reports. Photographs of the Miller's Grizzled Langur are nearly impossible to find, so the researchers could only compare the images to museum sketches. More»

Medical Chimp-Testing May Be Over

Congress reviewing bill to ban all ape testing

(NEWSER) - Chimpanzees: valuable test subjects, or caged relatives who deserve better treatment? With a ban on all ape-testing now in Congress, the controversial practice dating back to the 1920s may soon be over, the New York Times reports. “Now is the time to get these chimps out of invasive research and out of the labs," says the US Humane Society president. A Maryland Republican who sponsored the bill says it would save taxpayers $30 million per year and save apes a lot of agony. More»

No More Cigarettes for Smoking Orangutan

'Shirley' forced to quit cigarettes before move to new wildlife center

(NEWSER) - A chain-smoking orangutan who achieved notoriety when she became a symbol of Malaysia's horrid zoo conditions has been forced to quit her tobacco habit, reports the AP . The 20-year-old orangutan, Shirley, would smoke lit cigarettes thrown to her by zoo visitors. But now Malaysian wildlife officials have removed her from that facility and are preparing her to join a wildlife center on Borneo. More»

Girl Scouts: Thin Mints Killing Orangutans' Home

Duo protests cookies' palm oil recipe

(NEWSER) - America's cookie buyers shouldn't have to choose between buying Girl Scout cookies and saving orangutans, say a pair of Michigan girl scouts leading calls for the organization to change its recipe. Seventh graders Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva, who have rallied Girl Scout troops across the country and set up a Web page , want the Scouts to either stop using palm oil or obtain it exclusively from sustainable sources, reports the Wall Street Journal . Palm oil production has caused the widespread destruction of orangutan habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia. More»

Team Deciphers Orangutan Sign Language

Gestures analyzed to compile 'orangutan dictionary'

(NEWSER) - A bite of the air, blowing a raspberry, or a backroll means "playtime" in orangutan, say researchers who have completed the most extensive study yet of great ape gestures. The team deciphered the meanings of 40 common orangutan gestures that the animals—the least vocal of the great apes—use to communicate with each other in the wild, the Independent reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Orangutans In Trouble as Forests Shrink

Loggers, plantations bring great ape close to extinction

endangered species • environment • Indonesia • biofuel • palm oil • Malaysia • apes • orangutans

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Scientists Find Monkeys Thought to Be Extinct

And they weren't even looking for them

Medical Chimp-Testing May Be Over

Congress reviewing bill to ban all ape testing

No More Cigarettes for Smoking Orangutan

'Shirley' forced to quit cigarettes before move to new wildlife center

Girl Scouts: Thin Mints Killing Orangutans' Home

Duo protests cookies' palm oil recipe

Team Deciphers Orangutan Sign Language

Gestures analyzed to compile 'orangutan dictionary'

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?