Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
Forest officials rescued 5 young orangutans during routine patrolling in the Udayapur section of the Jaleswar Range in Odisha’s Balasore district, transferred to the Nandankanan Zoological Park.
Orangutans
- Genus - Great apes belonging to the genus Pongo. They are Asia's only living great ape species.
- Nativity - Orangutans are not native to India or the South Asian subcontinent.
- Habitat - Found exclusively in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, restricted to two islands:
- Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus)
- Sumatra (Pongo abelii and Pongo tapanuliensis).
- Ecological Role - Known as the "gardeners of the forest," they are predominantly arboreal (tree-dwelling) frugivores that play a critical role in seed dispersal across rainforest ecosystems.
- Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List - All three recognized species of orangutans, Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli are classified as Critically Endangered (CR).
- CITES Protection- Listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), strictly prohibiting commercial international trade.
- Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 - In India, exotic species listed under CITES Appendices are protected under Schedule IV (as amended in 2022), making illegal possession, trade, or transport of imported wildlife a severe, punishable offense.
- Exceptional Intelligence - They are known for Using tools, learning through observation, Problem-solving and Constructing sleeping nests in trees.
- Major Threats
- Habitat Loss
- Human-Wildlife Conflict
- Illegal Wildlife Trade
- Climate Change
Reference
Times of India | Young orangutans was found abandoned in Odisha
