Latest Orangutan Stories

A Swedish study showed on Monday what it believes to be the first evidence that an animal other than humans can make spontaneous plans for future events, the Associated Press reported.Researchers have been observing a 31-year-old alpha male chimpanzee named Santino collect small stashes of rocks to throw at patrons of the Furuvik Zoo, about 93 miles north of Stockholm.The chimp's anti-social behavior stunned both visitors and keepers at the zoo and researchers soon became interested in his...

Chimpanzees are famous for their aptitude in mimicking human behavior. Now scientists have announced that baby chimps' mental development may be more advanced than human infants.At only nine months old, the animals are as inquisitive and accomplished at recognizing parent figures as the average baby. The scientists who headed the project believe that their findings create important evidence that chimpanzees, like humans, flourish with social interaction. The more one on one their contact is,...

The rapid pace of deforestation has triggered a series of so-called human-animal conflicts in Indonesia.The latest attack occurred on Tuesday, when two women were trampled to death by a pair of elephants on the northern tip of Sumatra island in Aceh province. Another six villagers narrowly escaped with their lives during the attack, which happened after the elephants entered an illegally cleared field from nearby jungle.Just days earlier, two Sumatran tigers killed a rubber-tapper in Jambi...

Scientists have discovered that orangutans can help each other get food by trading tokens, but only if the help is mutual.It seems orangutans can learn the value of tokens and trade them, helping each other win bananas, according to researchers from the University of St Andrews.This is the first documented evidence of "calculated reciprocity" in non-human primates. Gorillas and chimpanzees were much less willing to co-operate, researchers said.In particular, two orangutans - Bim and...

Throughout history, human beings have used the whistle for everything from hailing a cab to carrying a tune. Now, an orangutan's spontaneous whistling is providing scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa new insights into the evolution of speech and learning.In a paper published this month in Primates, an international journal of primatology that provides a forum on all aspects of primates in relation to humans and other animals, Great Ape Trust scientist Dr. Serge Wich and his colleagues...

The head of Europe's environmental organization wants to put a stop to the laboratory testing on humanity's closest relatives: chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans. This will be accomplished by a crack down on animal testing by the drug industry and other various laboratories.However, various animal welfare groups and researchers blamed the European Union of hiding ineffective rules and regulations with empty gestures, as testing on great apes hasn't been done in EU research in six...

Logging companies have their eye on new U.S. legislation that intends to stop illegal logging in an effort to save the world's forests.The new law requires companies to declare the country of origin as well as the genus and species of any wood or other plant material they import."The intent was good, but I think it lacked many practical features that something of this magnitude ought to have," said Jon Kent, a lobbyist for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of...

During the World Conservation Congress, Indonesian authorities and the conservation group WWF agreed to a deal that aims to end the loss of forests and species in Sumatra. Sumatra is home to many iconic species such as tigers, orangutans, rhinoceros and elephants. Over the last 20 years, the region has lost about half of its forest cover due to illegal forest clearance caused by floods and forest fires. The need to deal with these issues appears to have played a big part in persuading the...

The Indonesian government and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a bold commitment to protect the remaining forests and critical ecosystems of Sumatra, an Indonesian island that holds some of the world's most diverse - and endangered - forests. The historic agreement represents the first-ever island-wide commitment to protect Sumatra's stunning biodiversity. The commitment has been endorsed by governors of all provinces across Sumatra, the world's sixth-largest island, and was also...

By Joniston Bangkuai KOTA KINABALU: Nature lovers can see some of Borneo's most endangered animals in their natural habitats on a special tour package. Introduced in conjunction with the launch of MASwing's ATR 72 aircraft flights between here and Lahad Datu later this month, the two-day, one-night package, a joint effort by MASwing - Malaysia's first commuter airline - and Tabin Wildlife Holidays (TWH) will cost around RM390 per person. The package, limited only to residents of Malaysia,...