[photo credit: Jungle Boy]

The Orangutan (or orangutang) is one of the most iconic of the great apes, forever immortalized as King Louie - the king of the swingers - in the Jungle Book.

In their native Indonesia Orangutan translates as 'man of the forest', as they are distinctly human in appearance, expression and action, yet live their lives in trees.

Orangutans can live for up to 40 years, and grow to around 4.5 ft tall. There are two main species of Orangutan, the Borneo and Sumatran varieties, which differ in appearance; the Bornean weighs more and has orange-red hair, whilst the Sumatran is taller and more slender, with longer and lighter red hair and often with a moustache or beard on their face.

It is thought the Orangutan is one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They use sticks as tools for finding food, and they are very skilled in finding the tastiest fruits in the forest, and fruits make up around 65% of their diet. They have great learning and problem solving abilities, and are known to spend time educating their children on how to find food and shelter.

Sadly, these magnificent animals are critically endangered. The total number of Bornean orangutans is thought to be just 14% of what it was in the middle of the 20th Century, with the decline largely occuring in the last 10-20 years due to human activity such as deforestation for timber and biofuel production. There are thought to be just over 7,000 Sumatran organgutans in the wild, and between 40-60,000 Bornean, based on estimates in 2003, but more recent surveys have found even lower numbers so it is though the figures have dropped considerably.

Habitat destruction plays a large part of the problem, as more and more of their home is used for illegal logging, for mining and road building, as well as being decimated by forest fires, which are sometimes started to clear land for agriculture. This has been aggrevated by a rise in the number of palm oil plantations which have cleared rainforest as demand has soared for palm oil for cooking and biofuel production.

You can help protect the orangutans by boycotting products that contain palm oil, ensuring you always buy FSC timber, and by supporting organisations that protect their natural habitat, such as the WWF.

By adopting an orangutan, you can ensure their homes and lives are protected and that this amazing ape does not die out.