Monday, March 1, 2010

How Orangutans Are Fighting For Their Lives

Evolution provides a way for a species to survive by adapting to ever-changing environments. Our species has evolved from apes, and recently scientists are beginning to believe that we evolved specifically from orangutans.

We are human, and we have a strong desire to live and thrive. We have survived through evolution. We have an attitude of perseverance, and we never give up. Orangutans share this desire….and orangutans will fight for their lives.

Join me in this visual journey (I gathered this information from MailDaily, a UK online news site).
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What was once a lush, thriving home for orangutans, has been destroyed.



Orangutans are scared of water. It is very unusual for them to swim because of predators, such as crocodiles. Orangutans, when forced to cross water, have swung from tree to tree.


To adapt to ever changing environments, orangutans have done something that has stunned experts - they have taken to the water! Forced to cross waters where tree's have been cut down, they are learning to swim through water to survive.


'This is a rarity - to see orangutans coming down for a swim is unheard of in the wild,' says Simon Husson, scientific consultant for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

'However, we know that orangutans are intelligent and innovative.

'They try out different behaviours, or ways of solving problems in their environment, and over time develop cultural innovations.'



The orangutans are learning to use the water as a resource, like these orangutans who have found food.



These particular orangutans have been saved by an orangutan sanctuary after their homes were destroyed. Adapting to water has created a new, fun hobby for these relatives of ours...swimming and wading! Here's a picture of an orangutan enjoying the water after a meal.



The spirit in these orangutans is so human. Primates are the most ancient of the mammal families - and they date back to the age of the dinosaurs! They have lasted so long - much longer than us. They have survived through good conditions and bad, and now we are going to kill them so we can add an unnecessary ingredient to our cookies and soaps and coffee creamers.

Please, consider your stance. These orangutans want to survive. We have evolved in a way that gives us the chance to save their entire species.

All you have to do is stop buying products that contain palm oil. They are fighting for their lives.

10 years. 96.7% genetically related. Your choice.

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