Back in 2017, scientists finally described what became the world’s newest great ape species : the Tapanuli orangutan ( Pongo tapanuliensis ). It should’ve been cause for celebration, but at the same time, the new species became the most endangered great ape of them all. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

There are estimated to be fewer than 800 Tapanuli orangutans left in the wild, living in a small patch of forest in North Sumatra, Indonesia, known as the Batang Toru Ecosystem. It’s thought their range on the island was once much larger , but decreased by 60 percent between 1985 and 2007 (and it’s still declining).

As a result of this reduction – which involved the conversion of their forest habitat for agricul

See Full Page