Extinction of the orangutans

Orangutan populations are in rapid decline on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo according to a just published study. This is leading scientists to warn that we may be at the cusp of the first extinction of a great ape species, our closest genetic cousins. Both Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's top palm oil producers, have been aggressively expanding plantations to meet a growing global demand for biofuels -- which continue to destroy orangutan habitat. In addition, orangutans continue to be hunted for food and trade. Unless something is done immediately to turn the tide laying waste to these great apes, some researchers are predicting orangutans could be extinct by 2011.