Bornean Orang gg--utanutan Pongo pygmaeus

Photo: WWF-/Lee Shan Khee Common Name: Orang -utan (English and Bahasa Malaysia) Kogiu or Kisau ( natives language) Habitat: Mostly lowland and swamp forest StStatus: t EEndangered d d PPopulation: l ti AbAbout t 1111,000 000 iin SSabah, b h MMalaysian l i BBorneo

Distribution & Population:

Orangg-utans occur mainlyy in lowland tropicalp rain forests. On Island,, theyy are in Malaysiay (states( of Sabah and )) and (provinces(p of Central,, West and East )). In Sarawak,, there are about 1,300 orangg-utans almost all in the Lanjakj -Entimau Wildlife Sanctuaryy and Batangg Ai National Park in the south next to ,, Indonesia. Meanwhile in Sabah,, the orangg-utan populationpp size is approximatelypp y 11,000 individuals in yeary 2003. The world-famous orangg- utan rehabilitation centre at Sepilokp Forest Reserve has served since 1964, and continues to serve veryy importantp roles in savingg individual orangg-utans displacedp byy forest clearance elsewhere,, and in educatingg about the need for wildlife conservation. However,, the Reserve in itself is not enoughg for conservingg the speciesp in the longg-term.

Significant areas for long-term conservation: Borneo has 3 populations/subspecies: 11. UlUlu Segama -MalMalua a forests (appro(approx. 55,000) 000) • PPongo pygmaeus pygmaeus 22. KiKinabatangan b t NNorth th area, iincluding l di DDeramakot k t (t(western populations) lti) (approx. 1,700) • Pongo pygmaeus morio 3. Tabin Wildlife Reserve (approx. 1,400) (northeast(p and east populations)p) 4. Lower Kinabatangang(pp (approx. 1,100) ) • Pongogpyg pygmaeus wurmbii 5. Kulamba Wildlife Reserve (approx.(pp 500) ) (southern populations) GlGeneral situationit ti : Orang-utan is an endangered species in Borneo. In Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), the species is best classed as vulnerable because the rate of orang-utan habitat loss has fallen off to a very low level in recent years, there is almost no hunting of this species, and most of the remaining populations occur in forests to be retained as protected areas or under natural forest management for timber production.

What do they feed on? OOrang-utanst primarilyiileatt fitfruits, alongl withith young lleaves andd bkbark, flflowers, hhoney andd itinsects. OOne off ththeir i preferredfdfdfoods iis ththe didurian fitfruit.

Photo: WWF-Malaysia/Raymond Alfred

Threats: An understanding of three main features of the biology of the orang-utan can quickly help us to see why the orang-utan has become endangered with extinction, and why even in the more stable conditions of Sabah and Sarawak,, it remains vulnerable.

FirstlyFirstly, orang-utans can survive only in extensive natural forests and only some forests – mainly in lowlands and swamps.

SecondlySecondly, orang-utans require high quality foods and a variety of fruits. In regions where naturaltlfitifruiting iis ifinfrequent tandd seasonal,l suchh as hill ranges, orang-utant populationslti may nott bbe ablebl tto survive,i even whereh ththere iis no htihunting or didisease. OOrang-utanst can andd ddo eat young leaves and bark plants, but these are not their main foods. They cannot survive for long without fruits.

Thirdly, orang-utans grow slowly and breed very slowly. It is thought that an average wild female orang-utan successfully bears only about three young during her lifetimelifetime, even under optimum circumstances. This means that any kind of pressure which slows natural breeding rate or raises death rate has an enormous impact on the survival of the population. Such pressures may be hunting or disease such as malariamalaria, but the most severe pressure may be El NiNino dhtdroughts.

For more information:

WWF-Malaysiay www.wwf.org.mygy

WWF-Malaysia>Species>Orangyg-utan http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_gy we_do/species_main/orang_utan/g

Please contact: WWF-Malaysia Raymond ALFRED Suite 1-6 W11 Programme Manager 6th Floor, CPS Tower Borneo Species Programme Ctr Point Complex [email protected] No. 1, Jalan Centre Point 88800 Kota Kinabalu Shan Khee LEE Sabah, Malaysia Conservation Officer Tel: + 60 88 262 420 Borneo Species Programme + 60 88 258 531 [email protected] Fax: + 60 88 242 531 [email protected] Septemberp 2009 www.wwf.org.my