Starving Orangutan Desperately Searching for Food in Devastated Forest Shows Us the True Cost of Palm Oil [Video]

Source: International Animal Rescue/Facebook

International Animal Rescue (IAR) is a wonderful rescue and rehabilitation organization with over 100 rescued orangutans in their care at their facilities in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s rainforests are some of the world’s most diverse environments with native plant and wildlife species that are not found anywhere else on the planet. However, tragically, less than half of Indonesia’s original rainforest remains today, and an alarming 2.5 million acres are lost each year to slash-and-burn deforestation practices resulting from human encroachment and the corrupt palm oil industry.

Palm oil is a cheap oil found in about half of the items on supermarket shelves – from snacks to soaps. Its high-yield growth and high demand for it make it a profitable crop for corporations. Still, their greed is causing the mass deforestation that is killing some of our most precious endangered species, particularly the magnificent orangutan.

In the above video from IAR, a starving orangutan is seen desperately searching for food within a devastated forest. What was once teeming with wildlife and lush towering trees is now a charred wasteland.

Thankfully, IAR was there to save and relocate this orangutan and others before they perished or entered into towns where they could likely fall victim to the illegal pet trade. However, IAR’s Orangutan Center is reaching its capacity, and they are asking each of us to consider making a donation to help them expand the protected area so the orangutans in their care can live as they should, swinging from trees, making nests, and feasting on fresh vegetation. Just $20 saves 20 square meters of endangered forest, so your dollar will make a significant impact!

Please share this tragic video with your network as a reminder of the true cost of palm oil, and please encourage them to cut palm oil use out of their lives.

Speak Up Tee By Tiny Rescue: Animal Collection

Related Content:

• Meet the Newest Baby Orangutans in the Nursery Program at Orangutan Rehabilitation Center [Video]
• Baby Orangutan Kept as a Pet in Wire Cage is Rescued and Has Beautiful Transformation! [Video]
• Orangutans Use ‘Slang’ in their Communities in the Wild
• Indonesia’s New Capital Puts Already Endangered Orangutans at Severe Risk
• 10 Heartbreaking Videos that Show the Devastating Effect of Palm Oil on Orangutans

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