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Shocking New Evidence of Deadly Link Between Palm Oil and Orangutans

A pamphlet published today by the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation UK and Nature Alert provides photographic evidence and witness accounts of the horrific abuse wild orangutans suffer when they enter palm-oil plantations in search of food 8211; including shocking images of animals that have been butchered, burnt or buried alive. Of those that have survived, many have been sold into the illegal pet trade and one young female was shaved and offered up as a prostitute.



"In order to catch a wild adult orangutan and tie it down successfully, you would have to beat it unconscious first. Most orangutans caught by plantation workers die from concussion or internal bleeding."

Lone Droscher Nielsen, Manager of Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project.



Wildlife rescue centres in Indonesia are over-flowing with displaced and injured wild orangutans, including orphaned infants, from areas where their forest habitat is being relentlessly cleared and converted into oil-palm plantations. One rescue centre, the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project, houses more than 380 victims alone, with rescue teams operating on a daily basis. Meanwhile the centre is under immense pressure to find areas of forest where these orangutans can be released once they are healthy again. However, with the accelerating rate of forest clearance, these animals have a dwindling chance of ever being returned to the wild.



Palm oil is found in one in ten products on UK supermarket shelves, including chocolate, crisps, margarine, cereals, lipstick and soap. The palm oil industry has been linked with large-scale forest destruction, massive forest fires and human rights abuses. However, palm oil could be produced in a non-destructive manner: millions of hectares of already degraded land are available for the establishment of oil-palm plantations. But forested areas continue to be cleared because of the quick profit that can be made from the timber. This practice places the palm oil industry as the greatest threat to the continued survival of the orangutan in the wild.



"The rate of loss of orangutans has never been greater than in the last three years, and oil-palm plantations are mostly to blame. We are facing a silent massacre, taking place far from where people can see what is going on. "

Dr Willie Smits, Founder of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation



UK companies have been accused of failing to take effective action to ensure they do not buy palm oil from destructive sources. Recent research carried out by Friends of the Earth found that not one single UK supermarket was able to reveal where the palm oil originates in the products it sells.[1]



Due to corporate reluctance to take responsibility for the impacts of their business, BOS is calling on the UK Government to give company directors a legal duty to minimise their environmental impacts through the Company Law Reform Bill, which will have its first reading in Parliament next month. They are also imploring the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to introduce and enforce legislation banning the conversion of forests for agriculture.



The pamphlet and its accompanying SafePalmOil website, also launched today demonstrate to consumers how they can make a difference, and help save the orangutan from extinction. Actions include writing to the CEO's of the top five supermarket chains to demand non-destructive sourcing of palm oil, and contacting politicians to urge them to support the Company Law Reform Bill.



"Consumers must demand a commitment from manufacturers and retailers to provide products which meet basic expectations so that we are not unwittingly contributing to forest destruction, species extinction and human rights abuses every time we visit the supermarket."

Michelle Desilets, Director, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK



Notes:

* New graphic images of orangutans and palm-oil development can be downloaded from the SafePalmOil website

* Broadcast quality footage of orangutans and oil-palm plantations, newly acquired from the field, is available from Nick Lyon & Evie Wright @ Cockroach Productions, t: 01823 451 790

* Interviews with leading orangutan scientists and campaigners, including Dr Willie Smits and Ian Redmond, are available.



[1] A report, "The Oil for Ape Scandal 8211; How palm oil is threatening the orang-utan", is published by Friends of the Earth together with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. For a copy of the summary or full report please go to: the Friends of the Earth UK website   


For further information please contact:



Michelle Desilets, BOS UK

Tel: 01296 640 542

Mobile: 07910 230 196



Helen Buckland, BOS UK    


Tel: 01732 460902

Mobile: 07970 666 051



Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK Charity No: 1099591

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