The Orangutans belong to the Great Ape Family and are known as the old man of the forest. They inhabit rich tropical forests and, oh what a surprise, they are an endangered species because of the Palm Oil industry. These brilliant animals have been facing extinction at the hands of deforestation, in the name of industry, for years now.

Palm oil is the leading cause of orangutan extinction. It's in 50% of all household and food products sold in the West. It's an ingredient in shampoo, toothpaste, detergent, frozen microwave dinners, cookies, peanut butter, lotion, makeup and much more! So when buying stuff, check the ingredients!

The Orangutans are only found in two places in the world, Sumatra and Borneo. There are three species of Orangutans, and they differ in appearance and behaviour. The Borneo and Sumatran ones have shaggy reddish sort of fur but the Sumatran ones have longer facial hair. The third species, The Tapanuli, was announced in 2017 with no more than 800 in existence, and lives in North Sumatra and is the most endangered of them all.

People in Borneo are beginning to realise the plight these poor creatures are in and there are "schools" where they look after the young that have been orphaned or lost their Mother, to teach them how to become Orangutans in the future. These “schools” take a lot of upkeep and dedication, and I would go and work at one for nothing!

I was lucky enough to see an Orangutan and baby at Twycross Zoo, she was hilarious. It started raining, so she got a coat and put it over her head. She decided she didn't like us watching her so deliberately turned around and sat with her back to us. She knew exactly what she was doing!

They are such lovely creatures, it would be such a shame if they disappeared off the face of the earth for something like Palm Oil, which is an oil we can get an alternative for. The problem being you need to read the ingredients on things cos it is in so much stuff, and then decide for yourself whether a bit of oil is worth the lives of these magnificent creatures.

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