A study has been examining the range of the Tapanuli orangutan and has concluded that they are currently found in only 2.5% of their historic range, having lost the rest of their range to hunting and habitat loss.
They did this by looking through many old files and looking for specific words. Given what they found, it would appear that the Tapanuli Orangutan is not a mountain specialist, rather this is the last refuge – and that they survived because it was harder to hunt in the mountains.
It is thought that there are roughly 767 individuals left, split into 3 subpopulations.
There is much disagreement between the government and scientist about the impact of the dam and other interferences that they suffer. However, unfortunately these generally ring very hollow, and it is clear that the government does not consider survival of this animal important enough to do almost anything at all.
