Get involved in Orangutan Caring Week (9-17 November)

This Orangutan Caring Week (9-17 November) Auckland Zoo is offering Kiwis some great ways to help this magnificent great ape that’s genetically 97.4% the same as us and edging closer to extinction due to destruction of its rainforest home.

The week is about celebrating the orangutan, raising awareness of what it’s up against and what we can all do to help, and fundraising for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) - working to save orangutans in the wild.

Orangutan Caring Week events
Along with daily on-site activities, locals can team up with their family or mates for The Great Ape Race – a mini ‘Amazing Race’ around the Zoo on 14 November (5pm-8pm). No experience required, just plenty of energy!

Everyone can shop at the Grey Lynn Farmers Market, which is relocating to Auckland Zoo for a palm oil-free market on Sunday 17 November (9am-1pm). Located in the Zoo’s arrival plaza (with free market entry), visitors can shop for the best and freshest from over 25 stalls and watch Como Street Café’s head chef, Kevin Blakeman take palm oil-free market ingredients and work his culinary magic. 

For a great night out in aid of this great ape, get along to ‘Cocktails for Orangutans’ on 16 November (7pm –Midnight) at Montage Bar in Point Chevalier. At this fun fundraiser, there’ll be music to swing to, specialty cocktails, nibbles, an auction and spot prizes.  Visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz for full event details.

You can help - buy palm oil-free
The biggest threat to the survival of the orangutan is deforestation of its habitat on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra - primarily to make way for oil palm plantations. In Indonesia, the equivalent of 54 rugby fields of rainforest and peat swamp forest is being converted to oil palm plantations every hour.

Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken says deforested land is already available for oil palm plantations, but many palm oil companies continue to illegally destroy rainforest and peat swamp to make extra profits.

“If the current trends of rainforest destruction continue, we could see orangutans extinct in the wild by 2022, and in the case of Sumatran orangutans, even earlier,” says Mr Wilcken. “As wildlife advocates, Auckland Zoo believes the only way to save these species and habitat and slow the uncontrolled expansion of the palm oil industry, is to reduce palm oil consumption, and therefore demand. We’ve created a palm oil-free shopping guide containing hundreds of supermarket products to help you shop. Be sure to check it out on our website.”

Orangutan fast facts
• Its home range is restricted to just two islands – Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia
• The Bornean orangutan is listed as Endangered and the Sumatran orangutan as Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List – www.iucnredlist.org )
• The orangutan has the longest birth interval of any mammal. In Borneo, the orangutan gives birth just once every 8 years. In Sumatra, some females may give birth only once every 10 years. Females do not breed until they are 17 years
• Known as the 'gardener of the forest' because of the vital ecological role it plays as a seed disperser of hundreds of tree and plant species.

Palm oil fast facts
• Palm oil comes from the oil palm plant, native to West Africa. It was introduced to Indonesia and Malaysia in the early 1900s. Today these two countries produce over 85% of the world’s palm oil.
• Palm oil is used in at least one out of every 10 supermarket products, including food, cosmetics, and cleaning and bath products. The kernel is also used to make animal feed.
• Indonesia alone converts 340,000 ha of forest into oil palm plantations annually –about the size of two Stewart Islands. This equates to destroying 54 rugby fields of forest every hour!
• Find Auckland Zoo’s Palm Oil-Free Shopping Guide at www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Events 9-17 November - visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz for full details on all these events

On-site activities
Daily: 10am-4pm: face painting; 10.30am: orangutan story time; 12.30pm: orangutan encounter; 2.30pm: meet an orangutan keeper
Saturdays and Sundays: 11am-12pm & 1pm-2pm (both weekends): Kung Fu workshops
Monday & Friday only: 10.15am-11.30am & 1pm-2pm: behavioural enrichment demonstration for orangutans

Great Ape Race (in association with Lactic Turkey Events)
Thursday 14 November, 5pm – 8pm at Auckland Zoo 

Cocktails for Orangutans
Saturday 16 November, 7pm – midnight, Montage Bar, Pt Chevalier

Grey Lynn Farmers Market - palm oil-free market day at Auckland Zoo
Sunday 17 November, 9am-1pm at Auckland Zoo
Over 25 palm oil-free stalls will be setup in the Zoo’s front entrance. 

ENDS

© Scoop Media