You might know Rocky, one of the most media-exposed orangutans. Perhaps you saw him with Fergie in a spread for Elle magazine’s July 2007 Music Issue. Or maybe you recall him in a tiara in a Capital One credit card commercial.

But you probably won’t be seeing orangutans on the television screen any more. And in about 10 years, scientists fear, you might not be seeing orangutans at all.

To counter a misconception that orangutans are not threatened, a myth fostered by their public portrayal, the Great Ape Trust in Iowa will now care for orangutans that have been transferred from the only remaining orangutan trainer in Hollywood. Those who would protect the apes see the move as a great victory.

“Seeing apes in entertainment may lead people to believe that conservation is not an issue for them,” said Robert Shumaker, the director of orangutan research at the Great Ape Trust. “If that diminishes concern for conservation, then that’s a problem.”
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The IUCN Red List of primates makes grim reading, says Conservation International president Russell Mittermeier. In a recent edition of BBC’s “Green Room,” he says the sooner we listen to the message that our closest living relatives are telling us, the longer we have to save ourselves.

“Monkeys and apes are trying to tell us something. After all, some of the non-human primates that share 98.5% of our genetic code can and do talk to us.

“Take Kanzi, for instance; this bonobo chimp understands thousands of words, uses sentences, expresses emotions and concern for others; even talks on the phone. Whether certain primates, such as chimps and other apes, use language the same way people do remains a matter of scientific debate.

“But one thing about primates that scientists agree upon today is that they are among the most threatened animal species on Earth.

“Results of the most recent global primate assessment have been discussed recently at the annual International Primatological Society meeting, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. The survey was done as part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and it is grim reading.

“Nearly 50% of the world’s 634 primate species and subspecies are in danger of going extinct. The situation is most dire in Asia, where more than 70% could disappear forever in the near future.”
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A global review of the world’s primates says 48% of species face extinction, an outlook described as “depressing” by conservationists.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species says the main threat is habitat loss, primarily through the burning and clearing of tropical forests.

More than 70% of primates in Asia are now listed as Endangered, it adds. Sumatran orangutans are rated as “Critically Endangered” and are included among the 25 most-threatened species, while Bornean orangutans are listed as “Endangered.” Indonesia, which is home to both species, is ranked third in the world among nations with the highest percentage of threatened species (84%).

The findings form part of the most detailed survey of the Earth’s mammals, which will be published in October.

Other threats include hunting of primates for food and the illegal wildlife trade, explained Russell Mittermeier, chairman of global conservation group IUCN’s Primate Specialist Group and president of Conservation International.
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Tiger skins, orangutans and rare caged primates openly sold at markets in the heart of Indonesia’s capital are the most brazen and visible aspect of a thriving illegal wildlife trade.

Indonesia is struggling to take on a multi-million-dollar industry that is stripping the archipelago nation’s vast forests of endangered species for enormous profit by selling them to buyers around the world.

With corruption rife and authorities overwhelmed, conservationists say police and forestry officials have barely made a dent.

Activists and the government estimate Indonesia loses at least 80 million dollars a year through the illegal trade, with rare animals — dead and alive — being sold at huge mark-ups once they get to overseas markets.

“What’s interesting is that an orangutan caught in Kalimantan (on Borneo island) costs no more than three million rupiah (327 dollars) and is sold in Jakarta for five million rupiah,” said Asep Purnama from the non-government organisation ProFauna.

“Once they get to Taiwan they will sell for around 100 million rupiah and in Europe they’ll sell for 400 million,” he said, adding that an estimated 100 orangutans are taken every year from Kalimantan’s forests alone.
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