Dean M. Chriss
Photography
Masters of the Jungle, Orangutans
(Click image to enlarge)
Orangutans are truly masters of the jungle. They seem to move through the trees with less effort than we move on
the ground. Young orangutans hold onto their mother's fur and skin with a very strong grip
as the pair moves through the jungle.
Female orangutans weigh between 65 and 110 pounds while males weigh from 110 to 200 pounds. They are tremendously strong.
Their arms are about 1.5 times as strong as their legs, and adult males
are estimated to have the physical strength of about ten normal humans. These orangutans were photographed on the island of Borneo.
Sights like this will vanish from the earth in the near future.
Half of all wild orangutans were killed in just the last 16 years. They now exist only in
the few remote and isolated patches of native jungle that remain on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, in the countries of
Malaysia and Indonesia. The orangutan population in Borneo has plummeted largely
due to the creation and expansion of vast oil palm plantations. More than 80
percent of the species that inhabit tropical rainforests, including orangutans,
cannot survive in the monoculture of oil palm plantations. As seen from the air,
these plantations spread from horizon to horizon and the native jungles are
difficult to find. Fires are commonly used to clear land for the plantations and palm
oil companies are responsible for about 80 per cent of the forest fires in
Indonesia. World
demand for tropical woods such as luan, teak, and Malaysian maple (often simply labeled
"maple") also keeps logging companies busy clear cutting the last and most diverse tropical jungles in the world.
Given the vast destruction of habitat in Malaysia and Indonesia, it is a wonder
that orangutans still exist.
In addition to habitat loss, orangutans are often killed directly when they
stray into oil palm plantations because they can damage young palms and
steal fruit. Large numbers of orangutans are also killed by villagers who
feel threatened by them or who kill them for food. Farmers also kill
orangutans to prevent crop damage.
There are some laws meant to protect orangutans in Malaysia and Indonesia
but they are seldom enforced. Government corruption runs rampant in both
countries, and officials can often be convinced to look the other way when
it comes to abuses by wealthy plantation owners.
While they claim otherwise, it is obvious that neither government has much
interest in
preserving rare wildlife like Malayan tigers and
orangutans that still exist in their countries.