Even though it has a blurry spot, this is one of my favorite photographs of the orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) at the Philadelphia Zoo. The enclosure for the animals wasn't a very good proxy for their native habitat, but it's possible (even likely) that the orangutan will become extinct within my lifetime. As a professor of mine who studied them once told my class, if you want to see them in the wild, do not delay.
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You'll sometimes hear people lowering their voices to make themselv
Even in Orangutans, apparently.
Now, when I read the headline "Orangutans trade favors," I thought the article was very different... Oh well.
Facebook is swamped with pictures of cats at shelters that face imminent euthanasia. Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund has an ad on the Tradera auction site that says "Soft, Orange and Homeless" and invites me to support orangutan shelters.
Just in case you felt like casting a vote for a cute and cuddly cause, the Phoenix Zoo is asking for help in naming a new baby Bornean orangutan. He was born on September 2, 2014 to parents Bess and Michael.
Great photo!
If you like orangutans, check out the Orangutan Outreach website: http://redapes.org
Learn how you can help save wild orangutans!
Adopt a baby today!
Richard Zimmerman
Director, Orangutan Outreach
Reach out and save the orangutans!