Orang-utans are the world’s largest tree-climbing mammals but their forest habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia is rapidly disappearing, putting the future of Asia’s only great ape in peril. Orangutan means 'person of the forest' in the Malay language.Orang-utans were once distributed widely across Southeast Asia, roaming as far north as southern China, and as far south as the Indonesian island of Javar. But today Asia's great ape is confined to just two islands, Borneo and Sumatra.
©WWF
Orang-utans are known as gardeners of the forest. They play a vital role in seed dispersal and in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem, which is important for people and a host of other animals, including tigers, Asian elephants and Sumatran rhinos. So by conserving the orangutan’s habitat, we’re also benefiting local communities and other species.