Orangutan Mother Pictured Clinging To Final Tree As Bulldozers Destroy Rainforest Around Her

What does palm oil make you think of? If you had asked me that question last week I would have probably said shampoo or soap. But today, this same question provokes a very different answer. Now all that comes to mind are images of desperate, hungry orangutans uprooted from their homes and left to suffer. Endangered orangutans in anguish is not a pleasant image. But it’s one more people need to be aware of in order to put an end to it.

The Orangutan Mother Rescue

Several years ago reporters captured a heartbreaking image of an endangered orangutan mother. She was clinging for dear life to the only tree left in a forest in Borneo. The tree was bulldozed to bits by a palm oil company. The International Animal Rescue (IAR) patiently waited for her to climb down and followed her until she could be captured safely. They found that the orangutan was lactating, meaning she had just recently given birth. The baby, however, was nowhere to be found. On its own, that story is enough to send tears rolling. However, the saddest part is that this new mother orangutan is, unfortunately, one of the lucky ones. (1)

An Update On The Endangered Orangutans

This particular story happened 6 years ago. But similar situations are still happening around the world today. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, three species of orangutans are rapidly decreasing in numbers. In fact, researchers believe there may only be 70,000 to 100,000 orangutans left overall. To put that in perspective, an estimate of about 100,000 Bornean orangutans deaths occurred from 1999 to 2015. At that rate, these endangered orangutans could completely disappear by 2032. With the continuing production of palm oil, these delicate creatures don’t have much of a chance. (2, 3, 4)

Do Your Part To Help Endangered Orangutans

We’re incredibly thankful to organizations like the IAR for taking action and doing everything they can to help endangered orangutans. They have many success stories of saving captive or refugee orangutans, rehabilitating them, and sending them back into the wild. But if the palm industry keeps destroying forests, there may not be a wild to release the orangutans into. So what can we do to help out?

1. Check The Label

The first step to helping endangered orangutans is to check labels for palm oil. You may be surprised to see what products palm oil sneaks into. Here are some common products to watch out for that may have palm oil in the ingredients.

Lipstick

Pizza dough
Packaged bread
Soap

Instant noodles
Shampoo
Ice cream

Detergent
Margarine
Chocolate

Cookies
Biodiesel (5)

2. Watch For Palm Oil Code Names

Unfortunately, companies aren’t always completely transparent on their labels. Sometimes they will list palm oil under a different name or include a product that is derived from palm oil. Here are common palm oil “code names” to look out for as well.

Elaeis Guineensis
Ethyl Palmitate
Glyceryl

Hydrated Palm Glycerides
Palm Fruit Oil
Palm Kernel

Octyl Palmitate
Palm Kernel Oil
Palm Stearin

Palmate
Palmitate
Palmitic Acid

Palmitoyl Oxostearamide
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3
Palmityl Alcohol

Palmolein
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate/Sulphate

Stearate
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Sodium Kernelate

Stearic Acid
Sodium Palm Kernelate
Vegetable Fat

Vegetable Oil (5)

3. Support Sustainable Palm Oil

After hearing about the endangered orangutans, the gut reaction is to swear off palm oil completely. But actually, palm oil production is much more beneficial for the environment than competing oils like vegetable, soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower. The key is to find sustainably sourced palm oil. This means the palm oil was produced without harming the environment or its inhabitants. Protect the orangutans and their homes by using products with Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). (6, 7)

Small Steps Can Help the Future of Endangered Orangutans

Choosing to purchase a CSPO product instead of a more popular brand may seem like a small act. But that tiny decision could be the act that saves an orangutan life. Watch for palm oil on the label, be mindful in the products you buy, and spread the word about the endangered orangutans. These small steps could lead to big changes in the future of orangutans and the world.