It was recently Endangered Species Day — A day where we raise awareness about too many endangered species that will soon go extinct if we don’t change our ways … FAST!
Check out this sad video. In it, an endangered orangutan wanders around aimlessly in the East Kalimantan province of Borneo, an island on which 100,000+ critically endangered orangutans have been killed in the last two decades alone.
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The reason?
Deforestation, driven by logging, oil palm mining, and paper mills continues to be the main culprit.
Forests are essential to not only our survival but that of the rest of the planet. They are home to an extremely wide variety of biodiversity — orangutans, gorillas, jaguars, and elephants just to name a few.
They help make the air we breathe and the water we drink. They also provide food, shelter, and livelihoods to millions of people around the world.
Not only that, rainforests are the best line of defense against climate change because they store huge amounts of carbon in the trees and in the ground, instead of being released into the atmosphere. Deforestation accounts for 17% of all global carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, our forests are under attack. Many corporations are destroying forests at an alarming rate in the name of profit. Lands are being stolen from indigenous communities in the process to make cheap products such as palm oil, cocoa, paper, palm oil, and timber.
Animal habitats are being destroyed and endangered species are holding on by a thread as their numbers dwindle.
At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef we’re sad that species such as the orangutan are suffering. We have to make better choices so that we can give all animals a chance to live peacefully. Some things you can do to help save our forests are to plant a tree where you can, go paperless at home and in your office, and buy recycled products and keep recycling. It may seem like small acts but if we do them together, it adds up.
Do you want to stay informed of news and events about animals and the environment from around the world? Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram and we’ll keep sending you more updates. Share this information with your friends and family so that they know how animals are suffering in the fashion industry.
Do you have stories that you want to expose through video? If so, movies are a powerful way to get your message out.
Our friend and pro filmmaker Amir Zakeri created an online class for us to help the community learn how to create their own movies and documentaries — here’s 50% off.
You’ll be helping important causes, so don’t hesitate. Get started now.
What do you think about animals like the orangutan in the video being confused because it’s being pushed away from its home? Will you make changes to help save our forests? Leave a comment below.
(Cover image: Milan Zygmunt/Shutterstock)