1) The orangutan is one of the great apes, and is the only one found outside of Africa.
They are restricted to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in South East Asia.

2) The great apes are the human's closest living relatives.
We share 96.4% of our genetic make-up with orangutans.

3) They are the largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) mammal in the world.
They play a crucial role in their eco-system as seed dispersers.

4) Orangutans are the slowest breeding primates on earth -
one infant is born every 7 to 8 years.

5) Orangutans depend on the forest to survive; if you protect the orangutan you protect one of the most vital habitats on the planet in terms of bio-diversity and climate control.

6) Orangutan populations have declined by 50% over the last ten years.
They have lost 80% of their habitat in the last twenty years.

6) Recent estimates suggest that wild orangutan numbers could be
as low as 15,000 in Borneo and 5,000 in Sumatra.
If the loss of habitat continues at the current rate, orangutans risk extinction in the next 10 years.

7) Forests are being converted for human use.
The biggest threat is from permanent agriculture in the form of palm oil plantations and,
more recently, illegal logging and gold mining in protected areas.

8) Orangutans, like other great apes, are highly intelligent;
they have learnt sign language and tool use.

9) The Orangutan Foundation actively conserves the orangutan and its habitat whilst conducting long term research. Their objectives in the UK are to deliver an educational programme, fund-raise and increase public awareness.

10) We have a shared ancestry; the orangutan split from the human family tree 15 million years ago.
In just 10 years we could witness their demise.

11) If you could gather all the orangutans in the world together,
they wouldn't even fill half of Manchester United's football stadium…

THERE REALLY AREN'T MANY ORANGUTANS LEFT.