Palm Oil

One of the favorite animals to see at the Kansas City Zoo is the playful orangutans.  In the wild, orangutans depend on the rainforest for their home and food.  They are the only great ape in Asia and are the largest arboreal mammal in the world.  However, they are critically endangered because of the production of non-sustainable palm oil.  In fact, scientists are predicting that orangutans could be extinct in the wild in 10-15 years without our help.

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil; you probably eat and use palm oil every day because it is found in many foods and bath products.  Oil palms originate in Africa, but it has been introduced to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, which is the only place orangutans live.  Rainforests are being cut down to plant more palms for this oil.  After logging the rainforest, palm oil companies often use uncontrolled burning to clear the land or peat swamp, leaving sparse habitat for the orangutans to make their home and depleting their food supply.  There are companies that grow sustainable palm oil that do not affect the orangutan population.

How can you help the orangutans?

Support companies that follow the guidelines to produce sustainable palm oil.  Download a shopping guide to use when you go to the grocery store. Write to legislators to tell them you care about protecting the rainforest. Recycle paper products like cardboard, paperboard (cereal boxes) and paper every day to reuse paper that already came from trees. Find companies using palm oil that are not part of the shopping guide and write to ask them to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Spread the word to your friends!