Life with Dylan

Category: orangutan

  • Happy World Orangutan Day!

    We share 98% of their DNA. They deserve our 100% commitment to save them. 


                                  


    By saving their homes, we can save the orangutans. Download the Palm Oil Shopping Guide today and start making a difference for these red-headed beauties. 



  • Dylan’s essay on Conservation

    Dylan came home the other day with an essay that he wrote in class. The assignment was to write an essay on any topic and turn in the final draft on Friday. I was so proud when I read it and asked Dylan if I could post it on the blog. He asked if this meant he was published again – I said yes it does. I think that sealed the deal. This is Dylan’s essay.

    Conservation

    Conservation is very important. If nobody helped with conservation, then the world would end because people would hunt animals to extinction. The California condor went extinct in the wild in the 1900’s, but zoos worldwide bred all the California condors and released their babies into the wild. So now they’re back in the wild. That’s the power of conservation.

    Greater One-Horned Rhino – Photo by Dylan Fryer

    The tragedy in poaching history is poachers killing hundreds of rhinos for their horns. When they lose their horn, they bleed to death. That’s why conservationists cut part of the horn off so poachers won’t hunt them. For some rhinos it’s too late; like the Northern White rhino. There’s only 7 left in the world and they are too old to breed so they will go extinct, but for some rhinos it’s not too late. The most endangered rhino, except for the Northern White, is the Javan rhino. There are only 50 left in the wild. There are no Javan rhinos in captivity because they are so rare.

    Tigers are also very endangered. Poachers kill them for their fur bones, and teeth. Some people take tiger cubs from their mother to keep as pets. When people do that the tiger is traumatized. Usually the person goes in with the tiger and gets killed by the tiger. The only reason the person gets killed is because of the tiger’s instinct of hunting. They are wild animals. Many zoos have tigers and they breed them to keep the species going.

    So many people poach animals. From small rabbits to giant elephants, but the worst part about poaching is that if something tries to protect the animal, then it dies too. Sometimes people take the baby and keep as a pet. Orangutans and other apes are kept as pets. Sadly, poachers will never stop. That’s why conservationists protect them.

    Cinta our favorite Orangutan – Photo by Dylan Fryer

    Everyone, no matter how old or young you are you, can always be a conservationists. So please help conservation. You can give money to help. Help stop poaching.

    -Dylan Fryer

    These are all Dylan’s words. He wrote the essay at school, brought it home for proof reading, and then typed it on the computer for his final draft. I may be biased, in fact I know I am, but this is a pretty darn good essay. Especially for a 4th grader.

    Knowing that he could write about anything he wanted and chose to write about conservation shows just how much he cares about saving these animals and the habitats they live in. When Dylan reads his essay in class he will be creating awareness and spreading the word about conservation to all of his classmates.

    That’s called Making A Difference!

    You can read Dylan’s other published work over on our friend Rebecca’s blog – Remember Wildlife – where he wrote about the Giant Pandas.

  • Endangered Species Monday – Orangutan

    When I see an orangutan I can’t help but smile. These animals are so animated and they definitely have individual personalities. 

    Orangutans are also very much like humans – from their mannerisms to their emotional expressions. In fact, orangutans are closer to humans than you may think. They share 96.4% of our genetic makeup, which makes orangutans genetically closer to humans than any other animal. The female orangutan is considered to be one of the most caring and gentle mothers in the animal kingdom. 


    Some young orangutans will stay with their mother up to eight years; nursing for the first three years and then learning how to fend for themselves. 

    Although orangutans live a mostly solitary life, they create bonds that last a lifetime. It has been said that these bonds are renewed during forest encounters later in life. Aside from the nurturing and bonding, orangutans are highly intelligent animals that learn many things from copying. On several occasions, I have watched the orangutans at the San Diego Zoo cover up with large leaves or a burlap sack when it is raining. That is a pretty smart orangutan!



    Orangutans once lived all over Southeast Asia, but now only inhabit the warm tropical jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammal and are 100% dependent on the rainforest for survival. This being said, you can see why habitat conservation is so important. 


    From 1980-1990 heavy logging and land development reduced the orangutan population by 50%. Large forest fires destroyed more habitats in 1997. Today, the harvesting of palm fruit for the palm oil is one of the main causes of habitat loss for the orangutan. Palm oil is in everything from cookies, chocolate and cosmetics to biodiesel and unfortunately is not always labeled as palm oil. 


    A sign at the San Diego Zoo educates people about palm oil

    Recently there has been a lot of talk about the health benefits of palm oil and people are now actively looking for products with palm oil. This is not good for the survival of orangutans. If you must buy palm oil, then please support the companies who are members of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) You can find a printable shopping guide here. 


    Educating people and making them aware that our actions have a direct impact on the rainforest is imperative to saving endangered species. To save the orangutan we must first save their home. All attempts that we make to save the orangutans will ultimately fail unless we can assure that their quickly disappearing rainforest home will be there for many years to come.

    For more inofrmation on the palm oil crisis and what you can do to help visit the Cheyenne Mountian Zoo website.