Orangutan Outreach

Orangutans used to live in many different parts of South East Asia, but the places where they can thrive and find food are vanishing. There are many underlying causes for the loss of habitat. It is a combination of economic pressure, greed and ignorance, and natural disasters- many as a result of previous deforestation. The population of Indonesia is growing at an astounding rate, and with more mouths to feed, forests are being replaced by farms. People and orangutans share the same space and in any conflict, the orangutan always loses.

Even in Borneo and Sumatra, their last remaining homes, large parts of the old growth rainforest are gone, ripped up for farmland, palm oil plantations and urban development. The precious little forest that is left is disappearing quickly as palm oil companies illegally clear-cut enormous areas of forest. Orangutan Outreach supports organizations that place animals that have lost their homes or have been confiscated from poachers. They also teach communities alternate ways of earning a living so that poaching is not required as a source of income for these families. They are currently helping build a 60-acre forested orangutan rescue center in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.
www.redapes.org

Impact at The Greenville Zoo

The Greenville Zoo was first able to exhibit orangutans in 2003 when Mia and Chelsea came to the zoo. Baby Bob was born in 2006. We are committed to helping solve the palm-oil crisis by only supporting sustainable sources of palm-oil here in our gift shop and our concessions areas. Please help us in our quest to save what habitat is left for these wonderful animals.