Tapanuli apes are the
rarest species of orangutan on the planet, with only 800 individuals left alive today. They're also the
oldest of all orangutans, and can trace their roots directly back to the first orangutans in Sumatra, who lived around 3 million years ago.
They only live in Indonesia, so one would think that everyone would do everything in their power to protect these important apes. But - no.
Instead, a mining company wants to dig for gold right in their precious habitat, hoping that making billions of dollars in profit will be worth deforesting and destroying these rare orangutans' homes.
Sign the petition to demand full protections for the Tapanuli orangutans and their homes! The Indonesian government must ban all mining, construction, and deforestation activities in the Tapanuli habitat, now!With so few members of this species left alive, even a small disruption could spell doom for their entire population. And mining operations have more than just a "small" impact. Mining involves clearing out forests, constructing new roads, bringing in large and loud construction equipment, and humans terrorizing the Earth.
Scientists are extremely concerned, pointing out that even harming just 1% of the tiny Tapanuli population each year would quickly lead to extinction. That's especially true if female orangutans end up injured or dead, since Tapanuli only mate and reproduce once or twice in a decade.
As Amanda Hurowitz with the non-profit Mighty Earth said:
"This is absolutely the wrong place to be digging for gold. And for what? So mountains of gold bullion bars can sit in the vaults of the world's richest countries."We can't let greed, billionaires, and corporations destroy the safe haven for the oldest and rarest orangutans on planet Earth! Sign the petition to demand that the Indonesian government shut down this mining operation now and set stronger protections for the Tapanuli and their habitat!