Endangered Orangutans: Loss Of Habitats Reduces The Species' Numbers

A recent study revealed that endangered orangutans' existence is in jeopardy due to the loss of habitats.

Conservation efforts for endangered orangutans need to be met, and high-energy foods are required in their natural habitats in order for them to survive, researchers from Rutgers University revealed in a news release.

The researchers found that the Bornean orangutan's population in Indonesia is declining, while in other areas, orangutans must survive on thousands of calories less than needed each day for most of the year.

"This study gives us a better understanding of how living in an unpredictable environment can influence the population density of large animals that spend the majority of their time in tress," said Erin Vogel, an evolutionary anthropologist at Rutgers University. "If animals can't obtain enough energy, reproductive output and population sizes will suffer."

Vogel, along with her colleague Mark Harrison from the University of Leicester, found that orangutans living in the Tuanan Forest, in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, consumed about 2,500 more calories each day when the availability of fruit was high and about 800 calories more in times of scarcity when compared to orangutans inhabiting the nearby Sabangau Forest, which have a thick layer of acidic peat to deal with, which prevents fewer nutrients from reaching the vegetation, preventing growth.

Vogel spent the last decade studying the relationship between orangutan nutrition and health.

"Walking through the forest you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The sites look the same, but one of the habitats appears to support a healthier population," Vogel said.

Orangutans are closely related to humans, and they share a common 97 percent of DNA. If their habitats are not saved, they will become extinct by the next decade, according to the researchers.  

The orangutan population in Borneo has been reduced by more than 50 percent due to heavy deforestation, and illegal pet trade when orangutan mothers are killed and their babies are taken. Female orangutans give birth to one offspring at a time, and only every seven to nine years. So if nutrition quality is poor, the chances of reproductive success will be meager and the population will decline.

"If you want to increase the populations of this endangered species, you need to make sure that they are being reintroduced into suitable habitats," said Vogel. "It means looking at forests carefully, making sure they are productive, and that there is enough food to eat in terms of caloric gain."

Orangutans that were forced from their homes are kept in rehabilitation centers, and many of them are expected to be reintroduced into the wild, according to the researchers.

"This work not only helps us understand why orangutan abundance varies between sites, but also suggests a mechanism through which forest degradation may reduce the number of orangutans that can be supported in an area because of the quality of foods available," said Harrison, managing director of the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project. 

Related Articles 

Protected And Intact Forests Endure Rapid Loss Around The World

Stem Cells: Giant Panda Research Plan To Generate Global Action

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).