7/29/2019 Script for Orangutan Presentation

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Title Slide:

Feel free to add your name and to change the title of the presentation to something morecreative if it seems fitting!

Slide #1:

Take a second to explain to your audience how you learned about this issue and why it

caught your attention. If you can show your audience your passion for the topic, they willbe more likely to take what you say to heart.

Slide #2:

The word orangutan comes from the Malay language, and roughly translates to man ofthe forest. Many people mistake orangutans for monkeys, but they are actually greatapes. Does anyone know how to tell the difference between the two?(Take answers fromthe audience.) The correct answer is... monkeys have tails, while apes do not! Theorangutans live in Borneo and Sumatran, two islands in Southeast Asia. They areomnivores, which means the eat plants and other animals. Orangutans have a wide varietyof food sources including fruit, leaves, seeds, tree bark, flowers, insects and smallmammals. Their life expectancy is between 35 to 40 years in the wild, and up to 50 yearsin captivity.

Slide #3:

Unfortunately, the orangutan is critically endangered. It is difficult to get an exact count ofhow many are left in the wild, but their population has dropped dramatically in recent yearsfor three main reasons: illegal logging, the illegal pet trade, and the production of palm oil.

Slide #4:

There is a lot of deforestation, or clearing of the rainforest, in Indonesia and Malaysia. The

illegal logging industry results in a lot of loss of orangutan habitat. The logs harvested areused as pulp to make paper, or are used to make furniture and other wood products.

Slide #5:

Orangutan populations are also being threatened by the illegal pet trade. In somecountries, owning a pet orangutan is considered a sign of status. Even though orangutansmay be cute, they belong in the wild! Due to the demand for orangutans though, poacherswill enter the rainforest, kill the protective mothers and then kidnap the babies. Anorangutan baby can be sold for up to $60,000 on the black market. Sadly, the conditionsare often harsh which means that 2 out of 3 orangutans does not survive captivity.

Slide #6:However, the biggest reason that orangutans are endangered is due to the loss of theirhabitat for palm oil plantations. Companies are coming into the rainforest and clearingmassive amounts of land to plant oil palms. The palm oil produced is then used inhundreds of products here in the United States, everything from candy bars to shampoosto baked goods. In addition to threatening species like the orangutan, palm oil productionresults in climate change as he clearing of rainforests releases greenhouse gas emissionsinto the atmosphere. Indonesia is currently the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide,behind only the United States and China, a direct consequence of the deforestationoccurring. But palm oil is not only causing environmental issues, it has also been linked toboth child and slave labor.

Materials by Rhiannon Tomtishen of Project ORANGS

7/29/2019 Script for Orangutan Presentation

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Slide #7:

Youd be shocked to learn how many of the products you eat every single day contain thisdreaded ingredient. Heres a list of brand that youre probably familiar with that use palmoil. Everything from McDonalds to Oreos to Nutella! This is a huge and complicatedindustry, but it is possible to create change within it.

Slide #8:For example, Madi and Rhiannon led a successful campaign to urge the Girl Scouts tomake Girl Scout cookies rainforest-safe. After five years of grassroots organizing, includingan online petition that gathered over 70,000 signatures, and media attention in nationaloutlets they secured a meeting with Girl Scout executives. Six months later, theorganization adopted a palm oil policy that is a huge step in the right direction! Campaignslike this are helping growers to shift to more environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible methods of production.

Slide #9:

You may be wondering how you can get involved! Next time you go to the grocery store,check the ingredients label on all of the foods you buy. You will likely be surprised howmany of the products contain palm oil. Take a second to write to those companies and askthem to adopt rainforest-safe policies. If you want to go a step further, organize acampaign against a company! You can set up an online petition or ask groups in your localcommunity to write letters. And of course, be sure to tell your friends and family about thisissue so they too can take action!

Slide #10:

But there are more ways to protect the orangutan than just working on palm oil. Forexample, Allie Boyer of California has been doing incredible work fundraising to support

orangutan protection and rehabilitation. She founded an organization called Purses forPrimates that has raised thousands of dollars for Orangutan Outreach. Allie collects gentlyused purses and then sells them at parties.

Slide #11:

You can follow in her footsteps by donating money to adopt an orangutan or planning afundraiser in your community to support conservation efforts! You can also raiseawareness about the plight of the orangutan.

Slide #12:

To learn more about this issue, or to take action, please check out an incredible

organization called Orangutan Outreach! Their website iswww.redapes.org.

Slide #13:

This presentation was assembled by Oranguteens, the youth branch of OrangutanOutreach. Oranguteens always welcomes new members, so if you are interested in gettinginvolved please talk to me or check out redapes.org to learn more.

Materials by Rhiannon Tomtishen of Project ORANGS

http://www.redapes.org/http://www.redapes.org/