A nonchalant rescued 18mth old male orang-utan orphan, plays and hones his climbing skills during rehabilitation at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program quarantine centre near Medan.

Orang-utans are the world’s largest arboreal ape. Comprising 3 species, they share 97% of human DNA. The Sumatran orangutan, Pongo abelii, is officially classified as ‘critically endangered’, mainly due to habitat loss, particularly for the cultivation of oil palm.

TEPA supports the objective of ‘sustainable’ palm oil use in household products. Smartphone apps like Giki, PalmSmart (currently US & Canada only) and PalmOilInvestigations (Australia & New Zealand) enable shoppers, at a glance, to determine how sustainable and environmentally friendly products are. They enable shoppers to vote with their wallet, probably the most powerful tool in the fight to save this planet. Be aware that, at present, advocating a ban on palm oil could have unintended consequences. Many alternatives are even worse for the environment or risk shifting the problem to other equally unique but fragile regions.

An 18mth old male orphan is bottle fed at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program quarantine centre, near Medan.

A dedicated 24hr orangutan keeper and surrogate mother bottle feeds orang-utan orphans L-R , 1-year-old male, Bina Wana , (sometimes known as ‘No Nose’), 18-month-old male Megaloman and 18-month-old male Bintang, at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program quarantine centre near Medan. A surgical mask is worn to prevent transmission of mutually infectious diseases.

1-year-old orphan, Bina Wana , (sometimes known as ‘No Nose’), yawns as he prepares to nap with his surrogate mother at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program quarantine centre near Medan. When Bina Wana’s mother was killed he was struck across the face with a machete, removing much of his nose.

An orangutan carer hand feeds orphan Rahul, a 6-year-old male, whilst the other orphans play on a climbing frame at the SOCP quarantine centre near Medan.

Three orphans cling to their surrogate mother at the SOCP quarantine centre near Medan.

Rescued orphan female orang-utan, Nadya, (2 ½ yrs) plays and hones her climbing skills during rehabilitation at the SOCP quarantine centre, near Medan.

During rehabilitation and preparation for eventual release back to the wild, rescued orphan male orang-utan, Megaloman, (18 mths) plays and hones his climbing skills at the SOCP quarantine centre, near Medan.

Through much of Indonesia, where once there was pristine rain forest and prime orang-utan habitat, now oil palm plantations stretch to the horizon.

Since 1990 Indonesia has converted over 20 million acres (8 million ha, an area the size of Maine) to palm oil, to become the world’s leading producer and exporter and has the highest rate of deforestation in the world.

Europe is the world’s second largest importer of palm oil, used in 50% of consumer goods including processed foods, snacks, chocolate and margarine; personal care items like soap, toothpaste and cosmetics; even biofuels.

In Sumatra, conversion of orangutan habitat to palm oil is ruthless. 95% of the apes are killed or displaced in the process. Officially listed by the IUCN as ‘critically endangered’, as extinction looms, scientists and conservationists are making a last stand to save the Sumatran orangutan.

A HOCRU (Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit) rescuer cradles the head of a sedated male orang-utan. Starving and suffering from malnutrition, it has been reported crop raiding in a village plantation. Unless the orangutan is removed promptly from the area, it is likely to be killed or seriously injured by angry villagers.

Members of HOCRU (Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit) shoulder more than 100kg of steel and aluminium transport cage through chest deep swamp and leeches to release the rescued male orang-utan back into the national park.

A thin and dehydrated juvenile orang-utan, kept illegally as a pet, is delivered for life saving treatment from Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Program (SOCP) vet Yenny Saraswati and director, Dr Ian Singleton. Health checks will include x-rays, examination for injury and infection and dental inspection for signs of damage and decay. In due course he will be finger-printed, nails carefully manicured, ears and eyes checked for parasites and micro-chipped.

A rescued 11-year-old orang-utan, recently brought to the SOCP quarantine centre, has his teeth carefully checked for damage and decay by an SOCP vet.

Orang-utan orphans carefully examine leaf and fruit gifts offered  by SOCP director, Dr Ian Singleton at the group's quarantine centre and clinic near Medan.

Weighing around 100kg, 20 yr old blind, dominant male, Leuser is treated by Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Program (SOCP) vets. Leuser has lived at the centre for more than 12 years since he was brought as a juvenile, severely injured and near death. He had been shot more than 62 times, some of the pellets blinding him.

The long haul … bogged to their axles, these specialised off-road vehicles are used by the Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Program (SOCP) to transport rehabilitated orang-utans to a remote release site in the far north of Aceh Province in Sumatra. SOCP director, Dr Ian Singleton, pulls a winch cable to the next tree on the long journey.

After an exhausting patrol through the jungle of Jantho Nature Reserve and release site in the far north of Aceh Province, SOCP director, Dr Ian Singleton, and colleagues relax by the banks of the beautiful Aceh River that flows through the reserve.

Now a wild orang-utan, 11-year-old male, Mawasudin, was successfully released into Jantho Nature Reserve and release site on 30th August 2013. Kept as an illegal pet, he was confiscated, and arrived at the SOCP quarantine centre for veterinary treatment and rehabilitation in December 2011.

Recently released at the orangutan release site at Jantho Nature Reserve, in northeast Aceh Province, mother Gober and 4-year-old daughter, Ginting, feed high in the canopy of a native fig tree.