An interview with Nicole Ruiz about orangutans

Extinctions in Near Time: Biodiversity Loss Since the Pleistocene

Bartholomew: Hey guys. So last week I took my family to the zoo where we watched a show about orangutans. I was a little upset to hear that they’re declining in numbers. Anyway, last night I met up with Nicole Ruiz, a Stanford student interested in orangutan conservation, and she let me in on the little things that make orangutans so special. Tune in to find out what I learned!

Interview:

B: Hi Nicole, thanks for taking the time out to speak with me. So what can you tell me about orangutans? What makes them so special?

N: So I’d like to begin by giving you a little background of where they live. Wild orangs are located on either the island of Sumatra or Borneo. Sumatran orangutans are more critically endangered, though. They have a population of about 7000. Bornean orangutans have a population of about 50000. I don’t know if you know this, but orangutans are one of the great apes. This includes chimps, gorillas, bonobos, humans, and, of course, orangutans.

B: Wait--so are you telling me these animals are close relatives of humans?

N: Yeah it’s pretty amazing! Did you know that orangutans actually share approximately 97% of their DNA with us? Scientists first sequenced orangutan’s genome with a female Sumatran orang named Suzie.

B: No, I didn’t know that, but that’s amazing! I noticed how calm and quiet they were in the zoo, not at all like the chimps.

N: Great observation! Orangutans are extremely gentle and shy. They’re probably the gentlest great apes. Studies have shown that baby orangs have an exceptionally close attachment to their mothers. She spends 8 years non-stop teaching her offspring how to survive. So then after those 8 years, they’ll separate and start living in solidarity. I personally think that this special attachment makes orangutans unique and awesome.

B: Their offspring must learn a lot from their moms if they’re with them for 8 years, right?

N: They learn so much from their mothers, especially through cultural behaviors that are passed down from generation to generation. Different orangs have different family traditions! This, in turn, creates different orangutan behavior and culture. If there are two orangutans that live on opposite sides of Borneo, they won’t have the same set of behaviors. This is just due to the way they’re brought up. This is the old nature vs. nuture story, just as in us humans!

B: I never knew that animals acted so similarly to humans.

N: Also remember that orangutans are important for more than just being similar to humans. Another unique feature is the color of their hair. You may have noticed that they’re red and orange. Other great apes are black and brown in color. They don’t have that nice color that orangutans have. But aside from their color, orangutans are important members of the tropical forests they are found in. They help in forest regeneration. Since most of their diet consists of fruit, they end up spreading the fruits’ seeds via their feces. This actually helps grow more plants in their environment.

B: Well who knew that spreading feces could actually result in a very positive outcome! Well, when I learn about these animals I want to know what is making them threatened.

N: Two major problems that are affecting orangs are deforestation and illegal poaching. The more the forests are destroyed, the fewer orangs that can exist. There are groups, such as the Centre for Orangutan Protection, that are trying to stop deforestation. There definitely are laws in place to stop illegal capture or killing of orangs, but they are tough to enforce without adequate funding for patrols.

B: That’s terrible, but all this makes me want to learn more and to take action. Thanks so much for talking with me today, Nicole.

References

Campbell-Smith G, Campbell-Smith M, Singleton I, Linkie M (2011) Apes in Space: Saving an Imperilled Orangutan Population in Sumatra. PLoS ONE 6(2): e17210. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017210

—Changes in Orangutan Caloric Intake, Energy Balance, and Ketones in Response to Fluctuating Fruit Availability Cheryl D. Knott Received June 3, 1997; revised February 25, 1998; accepted April 6, 1998

—Chen, C.-C., Pei, K.-C., Yang, C.-M., Kuo, M.-D., Wong, S.-T., Kuo, S.-C. and Lin, F.-G. (2011), A possible case of hantavirus infection in a Borneo orangutan and its conservation implication. Journal of Medical Primatology, 40: 2–5. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0684.2010.00442.x

—Meijaard E, Welsh A, Ancrenaz M, Wich S, Nijman V, et al. (2010) Declining Orangutan Encounter Rates from Wallace to the Present Suggest the Species Was Once More Abundant. PLoS ONE 5(8): e12042. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012042

— "Orangutan." Honolulu Zoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2011.

—PERKINS, L. (1998), Conservation and management of orang-utans Pongo pygmaeus ssp. International Zoo Yearbook, 36: 109–112. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1090.1998.tb02891.x

Serge A. Wich, Erik Meijaard, Andrew J. Marshall, Simon Husson, Marc Ancrenaz, Robert C. Lacy, Carel P. van Schaik, Jito Sugardjito, Togu Simorangkir, Kathy Traylor-Holzer, Matt Doughty, Jatna Supriatna, Rona Dennis, Melvin Gumal, Cheryl D. Knott and Ian Singleton (2008). Distribution and conservation status of the orang-utan ( Pongo spp.) on Borneo and Sumatra: how many remain?. Oryx, 42 , pp 329-339 doi:10.1017/S003060530800197X

—Sumatran Orangutan Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2011.