Sumatran orangutan numbers double but fires destroy habitat

Researchers find Sumatran orangutans living at higher altitudes but critically endangered status unlikely to change

There are twice as many Sumatran orangutans alive than previously thought but the critically endangered great ape is far from out of the woods, say researchers who conducted the landmark survey.

Loss of forest habitat is the biggest threat facing Sumatran orangutans, followed by the illegal pet trade and poaching. Fires lit to illegally clear land for conversion to palm oil plantations continue to burn throughout Indonesia, destroying some of the orangutans' remaining habitat.