How Many Orangutans Are Left

There are three species of orangutan (Sumatran: Pongo abelli; Bornean: Pongo pygmaeus; Tapanuli: Pongo tapanuli) and all of them are critically endangered.

Although exact population counts are difficult to ascertain, the scientific community generally agrees that there are somewhere between 55,000 and 65,000 wild orangutans left. The smallest group in this population is the Tapanuli Orangutan, a recently “rediscovered” genetically distinct species of orangutan that was formally separated from the other two species in 2017.

An international team of scientists published a groundbreaking report on the third species of orangutan. Upon its classification, it was immediately categorized as the most endangered great ape in the world with less than 800 individuals left in the wild. It’s range in the North Sumatran province of Tapanuli only extends about 1000 square kilometers. They are completed separated from their island counterparts, the Sumatran Orangutan.

The most stable species of the orangutan remains the Bornean Orangutan, which has seen relative improvements in population from recent years with about 35,000 to 45,000 wild individuals (CITE). The Sumatran orangutan falls in second place with around 15,000 individuals.

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  1. My promise to the world is to save orangutans. Pls join me to save this incredible species by adopting one online or to not eat unsubstainable palm oil products

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