Udin, the precious baby orangutan featured in this video, came to International Animal Rescue (IAR) in Borneo as an orphan in desperate need of medical care. After losing his mother – likely to poachers – Udin was captured and sold as a pet. While in the care of his new “family,” he became incredibly ill and emaciated, to the point where his rescuers weren’t sure if he would survive the night.

Thankfully, after much care and love, he has started getting better … and now, he is ready to go with his friends to hang out at a nearby facility where he can mingle with other baby orangutans!


As you can see from this video, IAR is responsible for the care of many orphaned orangutans. Sadly, their plight is not uncommon amongst this declining species. Over the course of the past three decades, the wild orangutan population has diminished to the point of near extinction. Largely, this decline is caused by rampant deforestation for palm oil production. Orangutans are dependent on trees for survival and as their forest homes are leveled, they are left with nowhere to go. Typically, adult orangutans are viewed as “pests” on palm oil plantations and killed by workers, the babies they leave behind are often poached and sold into the exotic pet trade, like Udin.

There are things we can do to relieve the plight of orangutans. One of the best solutions is to read the labels of all the foods you buy and avoid palm oil, if possible. To learn more, check out this resource.