We are much too impatient these days. When was the last time you spent a few extra minutes at the grocery store looking at an ingredient label? Those extra few minutes can help protect orangutans in the wild.
Due to its low cost, Palm Oil has replaced many of the saturated fats and other vegetable oils that at one time were part of many of the processed foods we purchase in the store. Oil Palms produce more oil per hectare of land than any other oil producing crop – clearly it is the cheaper alternative for companies. But many of these companies look away at the removal of both wildlife and forest to produce palm oil products. Although large companies such as Unilever and Nestle’s have suggested they are moving to a sustainable palm oil product, there are still dozens of large companies who are not, and in turn, fuel the trade in palm oil from poorly managed plantations who will kill wildlife and burn forests to clear land for production.
Orangutans are found only on the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (made up of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei). 85% of the worlds plam oil comes out of Indonesia and Malaysia. The third largest forest nation with 120 million hectares, Indonesia is subsequently the world’s third largest carbon polluter and loses more than 1 million hectares per year due to illegal logging, illicit land clearing and forest fires. About 90 percent of the approximately 40,000 wild orangutans live in Indonesia, between Sumatra and Borneo islands, while the remaining 10 percent can be found in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. Both species of orangutans have been place on the red list of The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with The Sumatran species listed as critically endangered.
Palm oil plantation and habitat loss
Orangutans are potentially disappearing at the rate of up to 2,000 individuals per year due to loss of habitat and hunting pressures. Loss of habitat is specifically due to increasing plam oil plantations as well as pulp and paper concessions.
I was in Walgreens last week and picked up two bags of a similiar product. One had plam oil in the ingredient, the other did not and was the same price or less. The decision was easy, and only added a few seconds to my trip. Is it worth it? Take a look at your food and even health care packaging (Dove, shampoos, etc.) at home. What percentage of the product you now buy contains palm oil?
Palm oil production has been documented as a cause of substantial and often irreversible damage to the natural environment. It’s impacts include deforestation, habitat loss for critically endangered species, and a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Make a statement with your shopping habits, it is the only way left in keeping orangutans off the extinction list.
Today, one of the major threats to the long-term survival of the orang-utan in the area is the intense fragmentation process that results from these recent man-made transformations and jeopardizes animal’s movements. Recent surveys conducted by the “Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Project” (KOCP) and the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) have shown that the Kinabatangan orang-utan population is split into at least 20 different sub-populations. It is well established that fragmented and isolated wildlife populations face increased risks of inbreeding, diseases, and localized extinction.
In 2003, KOCP and the Sabah Wildlife Department decided to set up rope bridges above the tributaries of the Kinabatangan River to provide access for arboreal species to cross these water bodies. So far, a total of seven bridges have been installed. These bridges are tied up to remaining trees on both sides of the tributaries and provide a physical connection between the two banks.
This bridge project was initially supported by zoos (Cleveland Metroparks, Columbus Zoo, the Houston Zoo) and other KOCP partners. Over the years, multiple designs were tested in an attempt to find a suitable model that could be used by the orang-utans. Over the years, several witnesses claimed to have seen orang-utans using the KOCP bridges, and the first photographic evidence of this was finally obtained in February 2010.
Although the evidenced use of these bridges is a success for the KOCP partnerships/rope-bridge project, in reality, these rope bridges are only a temporary fix. There remains the urgent need to re-establish contiguous forest between isolated patches of habitat that are inhabited by the orang-utans. To be successful in a constantly changing environment, efficient conservation measures need to be undertaken at the landscape level, incorporating a variety of stakeholders and multiple-use habitats where people and wildlife live together.
Hello to all!
As this is my first blog I think I should give you a little bit of information as to what I do as the conservation intern here at the zoo.
I am working with the conservation department to fuse the message of conservation with the Zoo and to better impart information to the guests about the Zoo’s projects. I am currently working to improve the conservation Kiosk which is located just by the main door for the Kip Aquarium.
In this blog I will keep you posted on not only the fabulous new updates to the Conservation Kiosk, but also the tons of other Conservation projects at the zoo, and the ways you can help out.
Conservation Kiosk Update! The Conservation Kiosk is getting a new look with the addition of some new eye catching posters. These posters offer a glimps at some of the Houston zoo’s local and international conservation projects, as well as some tips of what you can do to help endangered species all over the globe.
The Conservation Kiosk is located right next to the entrance of the Kip Aquarium, so come and check it out the next time you visit the zoo.
The Houston Zoo’s VP of Animal Care, Sharon Joseph, and two excited travelers, Linda and Gail, embarked on an adventure to Borneo for the opportunity to view the regions wildlife along the banks of the Kinabatangan River a few weeks ago. This unique opportunity was provided by the Houston zoo’s travel program. In the inner east coast of Sabah, they saw some of the world’s rarest mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds while visiting with Houston zoo’s conservation partner, the Hutan which oversees the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project. They trekked through swampy forest and paddled down winding rivers, getting rare glimpses of unique species such as proboscis monkeys and smooth otters.
They were guided by a community operated tour company called Red Ape Encounters whose guide Mincho had been trained as a research assistant and nature guide by Hutan. Local people are always the best guides as they are so at home in the forest. Their eyes are trained for their environment so they have the ability to notice what would be considered “unnoticeable” to us. One night cruse, as Mincho scanned the shore with a spotlight, all it took was the sight of the tiny tip of a tail to point out a species of small cat called a leopard cat for the group to see. Mincho did everything he could think of to make sure they saw all of the wildlife that the island had to offer from Bornean elephants to orangutans.
Bornean orangutan photos courtesy of Paul Swen
The group had a great viewing of wild Orangutans when they ventured out to experience the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP). The project was founded in the village of Sukau, in Malaysian Borneo by Hutan in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. The project’s objective is to restore harmonious relationships between local people and the orangutan.
A great time was had by all and they ended up seeing 27 species of bird, 11 species of mammal and 6 species of reptile. They also ended up making a life long friend of Mincho who took pride in introducing them to his village and family.
Comments from the trip:
“Linda and I had an idea of the work going on, based on the information you sent to us. Then we met and talked with Dr. Marc , Dr. Benoit and Dr. Isabelle , saw the programs detailed charts, sketches and newspaper articles, and it became perfectly clear what Hutan is accomplishing with support from the Houston Zoo. They did not look at Linda and me as tourists – how much more special could one feel, since having inside information on their studies allowed us into areas that many other travelers could not access? Along with their one-on-one dinners whereby we could ask any questions about the program and Mincho making sure we ‘did’ see the elephants – in a very Harrison Ford way, it was a trip most travelers only dream of. You can read and read, but still not be truly ready for an experience like this. From the very moment we arrived in Koto Kinabalu, we knew this trip would be like no other. Linda has been to Africa several times and is still raving about this trip.
Mincho is certainly a treasure, the kindest person on this planet – he took us to meet his teacher, his wife and children. He did everything within his power to make every little wish come true – the smallest details were taken care of. He is truly a great representative for Red Ape and Zoo.”
Our partners at the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP) are developing a new website focused on their activities. Now, instead of waiting for me to randomly toss out an wild orangutan or elephant update, you can visit them anytime you like at this site: http://www.hutan.org.my/Orangutans.html
The work carried out by KOCP in Sukau marked a landmark in the scope of orang-utan research. It was the first time that orang-utan research was carried out in secondary (that had been previously logged or disturbed) forest. The conventional thinking among primatologists studying orang-utan in the wild was that they could only live and survive in primarily (un-logged or disturbed) forest.
Pongos Helping Pongos:
Paintings by Orangutans, for Orangutans
Pongos Helping Pongos Art Auction and event
March 27th, 2010 G Gallery in the Heights 6:00-8:00 p.m.
301 East 11th Street, Houston, Texas
The Houston Zoo’s 4th Pongos Helping Pongos Art Event will be held at the G Gallery beginning at 6pm on March 27th. This very special evening will feature over 40 individual paintings done by our orangutans, elephants, siamangs, babirusa and clouded leopards. Each painting will be professionally framed thanks to our partners at YolArt Fine Arts and accompanied by conservation information and an animal artist biography.
The paintings will be displayed at G Gallery in the Heights for a single night in a fine arts setting, including a wine and hors d’ouevre reception and photographic portraits of the featured artists (but taken by humans). Professional photographs of wild orangutans and Bornean elephants will also be available for sale thanks to Houston photographer Paul Swen.
The auction event concludes at 8:00 p.m. Pongos Helping Pongos has raised over $100,000 for the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project and Elephant Conservation Program in Sukau, Sabah, Malaysia and $20,000 in support of field conservation efforts at Indonesia’s Gunung Palung National Park.
Nebula by By Houston Zoo Elephants: Thai, Methai, Shanti, Tess and Tucker
Our orangs and elephants have created 2 unique, beautiful paintings which we are auctioning off on eBay. All proceeds from this painting will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Previous zoo art sales have raised money for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, in which more than 200,000 people died, and for wildlife conservation.
Artists come in all shapes and sizes, all ages and skill levels, and now – in all species. Cheyenne, a 36-year-old orangutan, is our local art scholar. She is known for having a multi-faceted personality, which is reflected in the wide-range of art she has produced.
Whether she is being silly, serious, or serene, Cheyenne’s art is widely considered to be the most beautiful and impressive at the Zoo. So much so that one of her paintings was once featured on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Cheyenne’s limited edition artwork will be part of our next Pongos Helping Pongos Art Event and Auction to raise funds for Orangutan and Elephant conservation programs in Borneo. Visit Cheyenne’s webpage at https://www.houstonzoo.org/meet-cheyenne/
Typically when you work in a seasonal floodplain, you expect nothing less than seasonal flooding. But sometimes, the river overflows its banks and intrudes like rarely seen before.
Our partners in Elephant Conservation work out of the Danau Girang Field Centre in the Malaysian State of Sabah on the island of Borneo. Geography Assigment – google a map on find Sabah on the island. The Centre sits on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, a 560km river which runs from the mountains of SW Sabah down to the Sulu Sea. Find this on the map as well, I will wait…
Danau Girang underwater...
When I visited last October, the giant meandering river was easily 10feet below the bank. The field house photo below is then another 100-150 yards into the forest. All travel in the area is thankfully by boat but you can imagine how difficult it must be to track elephants, orangutans, and other animals in this environment. Not to mention issues with clean drinking water, flooding generators and whether your clothesline will float away in the night.
I of course cannot forget to mention how much closer this flooding will be bring crocodiles, who normally stay on the riverbanks, to your door now that they think your door is the riverbank.
“Good morning dear, there is a 15 foot crocodile on our front porch”.
The Houston Zoo has supported the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project since 2005 with a primary focus on the orang-utans use of secondary forest. Recently, program co-director Dr. Marc Ancrenaz was interviewed about orangutans and the palm oil issue in Malaysia on the website Mongabay.
The conflict between Palm Oil Industry and the protection of wildlife habitat is a difficult one and has led to PR campaigns on both sides. For the full article, click over to http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0116-orangutans.html.
If you would like to help protect orang-utans and elephants in the wild, join us on March 27th for our 4th Pongos Helping Pongos Auction event.
We are much too impatient these days. When was the last time you spent a few extra minutes at the grocery store looking at an ingredient label? Those extra few minutes can help protect orangutans in the wild.
Pongos Helping Pongos:
Typically when you work in a seasonal floodplain, you expect nothing less than seasonal flooding. But sometimes, the river overflows its banks and intrudes like rarely seen before.