The Tapanuli orangutan, only discovered in 2017, is the third sub-species of orangutan alongside Bornean and Sumatran – and there are less than 800 of them left in the wild. Tapanuli orangutans have smaller, flatter faces than their relatives and are only found in the Tapanuli region of North Sumatra – hence their name.
Tapanuli orangutan
Orangutan Foundation has sent emergency funding to Scorpion Foundation who work with the Ministry of Forestry to protect this sub-species, following the devastating impacts of recent floods in the area. The floods caused extensive damage to the organisation, destroying many facilities such as guard posts and staff residences, as well as veterinary medicine, documents and other equipment.
Flooding damage sent to us by Scorpion Foundation
Local conservationists reported a ‘silent forest’ where the largest tree-dwelling mammal once roamed. The whereabouts of these populations remains uncertain - hopefully they made it to safety in time.
With less than 800 Tapanuli orangutans remaining, what is certain is that each and every individual is critical to the health of local populations. It is essential that we support those that remain.
Orangutans only reside in a specific habitat, that being peat swamp forests. With deforestation continuing, habitat loss remains the leading threat to orangutans and the reason they are recognised as critically endangered by the IUCN.
Together, we can ensure that collective conservation efforts preserve remaining orangutan habitat in both Borneo and Sumatra, giving populations of all three sub-species a safe space to rear future populations.
Orangutan in swamp (Bain)
