International Orangutan Day 2023: 08/19/2023

by | Aug 19, 2023 | News

“Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.” – Jane Goodall

Happy International Orangutan Day from Team Project Jatropha! August 19, 2023, marks the 10th Anniversary of International Orangutan Day. The first International Orangutan Day was celebrated on August 19, 2013 to raise awareness about the crisis that orangutans are facing in the wild. This year’s theme of International Orangutan Day is to motivate people to step up and preserve these amazing apes. The orangutan population is jeopardized due to loss of habitat caused by deforestation, establishment of palm oil plantations, and illegal poaching and trading. When palm oil plantations are established, orangutans are killed as they are treated as agricultural pests since they try to seek for food in the plantation areas.

Orangutans, also known as “gardeners of the forest”, are crucial to the environment because they help the forests grow by playing an active role in seed dispersal. They disperse the seeds by eating the fruits and defecating them in their waste, which helps forests to grow and maintains a balanced ecosystem, providing shelter for endangered species. People can help save them by pledging their support by donating to international nonprofit organizations such as The Orangutan Project. Their mission is to ensure the survival of all orangutan species in their natural habitats, while promoting their safety. Together, we can make this world a better place for orangutans to live and be safe. Once again, Happy International Orangutan Day! Enjoy this short video about these intelligent primates… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O7628KrO00.

References:

  1. “Get Involved – SOS – Sumatran Orangutan Society.” SOS, 18 Sept. 2022, www.orangutans-sos.org/get-involved/.
  2. Phillips, Thomas. “Why Orangutans Are Going Extinct and What You Can Do to Stop It.” Health In Harmony, 22 Mar. 2023, healthinharmony.org/2016/11/11/why-orangutans-are-going-extinct-how-to-stop-it/#:~:text=Avoid%20products%20made%20with%20unsustainable%20palm%20oil.&text=Choose%20products%20made%20from%20deforestation,a%20product%20contains%20palm%20oil.
  3. YouTube. (2020, August 19). International Orangutan Day. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O7628KrO00.