There are a number of things that we can do to help protect animals, including orangutans, that are threatened with extinction.

Donations to charities. There are a number of charities in various countries that provide support to the preservation and development of the orangutan population. The charities can be broken down into two main types.

Lobbying Organsiations

The first could be classed as lobbying charities, for example, the World Wildlife Fund for the Protection of Animals (WWF). Donations to the WWF allow the organisation to make representations to various government and legal bodies in the places where the orangutans are most at risk. They will try to convince the governments to place more importance on tracking down and prosecuting poachers, to make it illegal to export parts of animals (skins, furs, horns etc.) outside of the country and to convince local people that they don�t need to destroy the forest where the animals live.

Preservation Organisations

These types of groups consist of different bodies that concentrate on different aspects of ensuring the orangutan population grows and thrives. There are organisations, such as zoo�s, that are trying to increase the population of orangutans. There are others that are trying to encourage the population growth in the wild and nursing injured and sick orangutans back to health before releasing them back into the wild. An example of an organisation that, both looks after the existing population and tries to convince governments to change their ways is the Orangutan Foundation. The aim of the Orangutan Foundation is to protect the orangutan and to conserve its rainforest habitat whilst caring for and releasing ex-captive orangutans back into the wild. The Orangutan Foundation tries to actively lobby governments and educate the public about the orangutan and its habitat so that it might be saved from extinction.

Protection and Development sites in Indonesia.

There are a number of sites throughout Indonesia where work is underway to try to protect and develop the orangutan population.

1. Sepilok (Sabah)
Sepilok is the only current rehabilitation centre in Sabah. It is on the north-east coast of Borneo and, in fact, started out as a very small-scale operation. It was founded in 1964, and today is a tourist park with cafeterias and guides. After the Orangutans have been rehabilitated, they are released into a 43 km2 area of Dipterocarp forest that is protected from humans and predators.

2. Semenggok (Sarawak)
Semenggok is a small rehabilitation centre near the city of Kuching, in Sarawak. It is in the west-north-west of Borneo, west from Kalimantan, which is in the centre of Borneo. It was founded in 1975, and used to be a centre for Gibbons, until the government took it over and made it into the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Semenggok has only got access to 1700 acres of protected forest.

3. Tanjung Puting
Tanjung Putting National Park is just inland from the south coast of Borneo, and offers rehabilitation in various different centres along the Sekonyer river. It was originally a game reserve, when it was founded in 1935. In 1982 it was made into a National Park. Most of the 3,040 km2 land is Orangutan habitat, with many dipterocarp trees. It is the largest protected forest in Central Kalimantan.

4. Wanariset
Wanariset is east in Borneo near the coastline. It�s dedicated to research on the conservation of forests. It was founded in the 1980�s by the government. They own around 27,000 acres of protected forest.