Orangutan population under threat at Borneo Island

Context:

  • A research found that 50 percent drop out in the orangutan population on the island of Borneo from 1999 to 2015.
  • The reasons behind the decreasing population of Orangutan includes-
    (a) Hunting by people
    (b) Habitation destruction by oil palm, paper, logging and mining industries

About Orangutans:

  • The orangutans are three extant species of great apes native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
  • Three Extant species are-
    (a) Bornean orangutan 
    (b) Sumatran orangutan 
    (c) Tapanuli orangutan
  • Orangutans currently inhabit lowland forests on Borneo, an island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, and Indonesia’s island of Sumatra.

Borneo Islands:

  • It is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.
  • It is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi (Island in Indonesia), and east of Sumatra.
  • The island is politically divided among three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the north, and Indonesia to the south.
  • Approximately 73% of the island is Indonesian territory.

Source: TH

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