International Orangutan Day

The International Orangutan Day is celebrated on August 19, every year. The event is held to encourage the public to take action in helping to preserve orangutan, which is gradually becoming extinct. The population of the Sumatran orangutan had declined by more than 50% between 1992 and 2000. It is believed that there are only about 6,500 Sumatran orangutans in the wild. Likewise, the Bornean orangutan population dropped by 43% from 35,000 in 1996 to 20,000 in 2006. The rise in deforestation has also resulted in the depletion of the orangutan population.