Family Book Corner

A Brief Review About Orangutans

The orangutans are two species of great apes known for their intelligence, long arms and reddish-brown hair. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, they are currently found only in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, though fossils have been found in Java, Vietnam and China. They are the only surviving species in the genus Pongo and the subfamily Ponginae (which also includes the extinct genera Gigantopithecus and Sivapithecus). Their name derives from the Malay and Indonesian phrase orang hutan, meaning "man of the forest". The orangutan is an official state animal of Sabah in Malaysia.

The total number of Bornean orangutans is estimated to be less than 14% of what it was in the recent past (from around 10,000 years ago until the middle of the twentieth century) and this sharp decline has occurred mostly over the past few decades due to human activities and development. Species distribution is now highly patchy throughout Borneo: it is apparently absent or uncommon in the south-east of the island, as well as in the forests between the Rejang River in central Sarawak and the Padas River in western Sabah (including the Sultanate of Brunei). A similar development have been observed for the Sumatran orangutans.

The most recent estimate for the Sumatran Orangutan is around 7,300 individuals in the wild while the Bornean Orangutan population is estimated at between 45,000 and 69,000. These estimates were obtained between 2000 and 2003. Since recent trends are steeply down in most places due to logging and burning, it is forecast that the current numbers are below these figures.

Orangutan habitat destruction due to logging, mining and forest fires, as well as fragmentation by roads, has been increasing rapidly in the last decade. A major factor in that period of time has been the conversion of vast areas of tropical forest to oil palm plantations in response to international demand (the palm oil is used for cooking, cosmetics, mechanics, and more recently as source of biodiesel). Some UN scientists believe that these plantations could lead to the extinction of the species by the year 2012. Some of this activity is illegal, occurring in national parks that are officially off limits to loggers, miners and plantation development. There is also a major problem with hunting and illegal pet trade. In early 2004 about 100 individuals of Bornean origin were confiscated in Thailand and 50 of them were returned to Kalimantan in 2006. Several hundred Bornean orangutan orphans who were confiscated by local authorities have been entrusted to different orphanages in both Malaysia and Indonesia. They are in the process of being rehabilitated into the wild.

Major conservation centres in Indonesia include those at Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, Kutai in East Kalimantan, Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, and Bukit Lawang in the Gunung Leuser National Park on the border of Aceh and North Sumatra. In Malaysia, conservation areas include Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Sarawak and Matang Wildlife Centre also in Sarawak, and the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary near Sandakan in Sabah.

Welcome to Family Book Store. The profit from the item we sell will go to support orangutans future

Books On Orangutans

Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation
by Chad Arment
Amazon Price: $15.25
Customer Reviews:
» Chad Arment, with Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation, has formalized the study of "cryptids" (defined as "an ethnoknown animal for which concrete ev...

» Very professional; highly intellectual and scientifically sound writing. An excellent text for any scientific library collection.

» This book sits squarely between Loren Coleman and William R. Corliss on my bookshelf. Crypto and anomalous readers will be impressed with this book an...

» Chad breaks down Cryptozoology into the nuts and bolts of science.
All new Bigfoot hunters, (and quite a few present ones) should read this bo...

» Rarely has there been a more critical yet constructive look at cryptozoology, its definition, methodology and direction. Chad Arment has written a mos...

Borges and the Eternal Orangutans
by Luis Fernando Verissimo, Margaret Jull Costa
Amazon Price: $11.16
Customer Reviews:
» This is a very witty short novel about a Brazilian translator of detective fiction who loves the work of Borges. The man, Vogelstein (his family esca...

» A short delightful read! Very interesting narration, imaginative story-telling and replete with various literary references - this was a short and del...

» It is hard to try an capture in a few pages any portion of Borges' personality, but Verissimo manages to do just that, and in what way! The book star...

» Luis Fernando Verissimo's Borges and the Eternal Orangutans takes the form of a novella addressed to the author Jorge Luis Borges. In it, the narrator...

» I picked this book up out of pure curiosity, and was richly rewarded. Others here have nicey summarized the novel, so this will be more of an endorse...

Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo
by Birute M. F. Galdikas
Amazon Price: $17.99
Customer Reviews:
» Dr. Galdikas study and care of the orangutans of Borneo is greatly appreciated. My friends and myself enjoyed this book a great deal. Long live Dr. Ga...

» The next best thing to living in an Indonesian rain forest with these creatures is reading this account. The animals are of course, her main focus but...

» If you are inspired by dedicated peoplewith vision and or conservation this is a must read. Professor Galdikas is an amazing woman and is part of the...

» Wonderful book! Galdikas brings us from her very beginnings as a young woman studing Orangutans to a true scientist breaking new ground as Jane Gooda...

» Having spent time volunteering at Tanjung Puting, I felt this book was wonderfully written. Although The Professor (Birute) is not an open person, sh...

Among Orangutans: Red Apes and the Rise of Human Culture
by Carel van Schaik
Amazon Price: $23.36
Customer Reviews:
» Homo sylvestris (man of the forest) is now placed cladistically at a farther remove from Homo sapiens than chimpanzees or gorillas, having been geneti...

» The orangutan has been seen as a loner, wandering a forest that offers just enough food to pay the cost of collecting it. But this may be because homo...

» About 14 million years ago, an African ape with a penchant for solitude strolled eastwards. Her descendents became the "red apes" of Borneo and Sumat...

» This book flows quite beautifully, from the general biology of orangutans and their habitat to theories about the development of their culture. Van Sc...

» I have always been interested in the rather rarified air of evolution theory, not because I don't believe it, but it ironically demands a leap of fait...

Goodnight, Me
by Andrew Daddo
Amazon Price: $10.16
Customer Reviews:
» This is a beautiful goodnight story for toddlers. It's also great for new readers. Both my 3 and 6 year olds love it and we've been reading it as a ...

» I came across this book in the "new books" section at our public library and decided to check it out. This book is more for pre-school aged kids but t...

» Brilliant. It's my little boys favorite bedtime book. We read it
every night, and as much as I would like to try something else as the last
» It's my children's favorite bedtime book...It's cute, it's funny, and brilliantly illustrated. Isn't it funny how the best books are the ones you wish...

The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligen...
by Eugene Linden
Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews:
» Based on personal experiences with handlers, zoo keepers, trainers, owners, and scientists around the world. This book gives an insightful look into t...

» Our local newspaper carried a story about octopi and their intelligence and referenced this book. The story intrigued me because I'd never read anywh...

» People who enjoy thinking about evolution, artificial and natural intelligence, and consciousness will want to read this book. It is a quick read wort...

» What an entertaining and interesting read. I totally adored his "The Parrot's Lament" and was really excited to learn he had a new book. Eugene Linden...

» it doesn't matter that linden's discussion on animal behaviour isn't rocket science, as behavioural studies often seem to be thought.

the...

Orangutan Odyssey
by Birute Mary Galdikas
Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews:
» This is a great book about the orangutans of Borneo that are being studied by Birute M.F. Galdikas. It talks about Princess, Uranus, Yaiyat, and the p...

» This book has wonderful historical information relating to the first accounts of orangutans and other animals like apes and chimpanzees. It also recou...

Orangutans: Wizards of the Rain Forest
by Anne E. Russon
Amazon Price: $22.76
Customer Reviews:
» Anyone who gets this book is likely a fan of the orangutan to begin with, as was the case with me. I found this book only increased that feeling.

» If you want to learn about orangutans as a species, but are afraid of getting close to individual animals who show personalities, likes and dislikes, ...

» Not taking anything away from Birute Galdikas who has been studying Orangutans longer than Anne Russon, but this book is different than Galdikas' two ...

» Interesting and funny look at the behavior of the endangered species of orangutans. This book describes the experience of Russon and her colleagues' w...

The Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne
Amazon Price: $0.99
Customer Reviews:

Little Bobo Saves the Day
by S. Romanelli, de Beer
Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews: