SABAH, MALAYSIAN BORNEO seven-month-old orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Kecil dangles from a branch in Sepilok, Malaysia.
SABAH, MALAYSIAN BORNEO seven-month-old orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Kecil dangles from a branch in Sepilok, Malaysia, near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre takes in injured and rescued orangutans from the area, and rehabilitates them until they are ready for release back to the wild in the 43sq mile protected rainforest on the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. The centre is supported by the Orangutan Appeal UK. Bornean orangutans are endangered. They are sometimes hunted for food and often for the illegal pet trade. Mining and forest fires also play their part, but the biggest risk to orangutan habitat is the palm oil trade, which is responsible for the destruction of millions of acres of rainforest in Borneo. Some UN scientists believe that the growth of palm oil plantations could damage orangutan habitat beyond repair as soon as 2012.
Size: 2592px × 3887px
Photo credit: © Dave Stevenson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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