The orang-utan is the largest arboreal (tree-living) animal in the world. They spend most of their time in trees - feeding, sheltering and travelling through the forest canopy.
Fossil records show that orang-utans have been on this earth for more than 800,000 years and populations once spread from China to as far as Sulawesi. Today, Borneo and Sumatra are the only two islands in the world that are supporting natural orang-utan populations numbering about 55,000.
Maintaining natural forests with viable wild breeding populations and restoring degraded forests is vital for the continued survival of orang-utans in Malaysia.
Facing threats such as logging, forest fires, degradations; orang-utans may suffer further decline due to poor habitat.
Hence, the Sabah's government's initiative to retain the largest orang-utan population in Ulu Segama-Malue Forest Reserves under protection status deserves a worthy acknowledgement and support.
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