Photo of a Rescued Orangutan Reaching Her Hand Out for Help Will Bring a Tear to Your Eye

When the International Animal Rescue (IAR) team arrived at a remote village in West Borneo, their hearts were crushed at the sight of an orangutan they named Amy.

Amy was slumped over in a crate so small she could not fully stretch her body. The heavy shackles around her soft neck left a deep wound, and the undeniable air of pure sadness and desperation was evident in her emotional eyes. It was then that Uwi, one of IAR’s veterinarians, outstretched a gentle arm toward the great ape to tell her they were there to help. During that very moment, Amy’s eyes were filled with a glimmer of hope. Amy extended her long arm and latched onto Uwi, staring into her eyes as if saying “Thank you for saving me.”

The look of despair in Amy’s eyes defines this powerful moment she outstretched her arm asking for help.

Sadly, this heartbreaking story of a young captive orangutan living in distress is not an isolated case. Orangutans are the common victims of deforestation, particularly in Indonesia. They are losing the towering trees they call home due to the palm oil industry, which is expanding endlessly onto their territory. It’s estimated that orangutans have lost around 90 percent of their original range, large due to slash and burn deforestation. This method of clearing trees is popular in the palm oil industry and around 300 football fields of forest are leveled every hour to make more room for plantations. Sadly, this leaves orangutans with little choice but to travel into human villages in search of food. Once in the presence of opportunistic humans, orangutans are frequently captured and sold – either to become bush meat or pets. Because of this, the orangutan population is in grave danger of extinction and if nothing is done to protect these animals, we stand to lose them forever.

Luckily, we can all play a role in helping orangutans. To learn more about palm oil and how to avoid it, click here.  To make a donation to IAR and help them continue their life-saving work, click here. 

Image Source: International Animal Rescue