Young New Zealanders helping save orang utans

An orang utan protection unit in south-west Sumatra is to benefit from an Auckland Zoo and ASB initiative to encourage young New Zealanders to save both money and the critically endangered Sumatran orang utan.

For three weeks in July, young Kiwis around the country who opened an ASB Headstart account received an $8 credit to their account. At the same time, ASB donated an additional $2 for each account to the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund for the Sumatran Orang utan Conservation Project (SOCP).

"The campaign has raised great awareness, as well as valuable dollars for a great ape that could be extinct in the wild in less than 10 years if the current growth of palm oil plantations continues," says Auckland Zoo conservation officer, Peter Fraser.

This morning ASB presented a cheque for $4,718 to Mr Fraser (and elephants Kashin and Burma) at the zoo.

"This amount of money can make a huge difference in a place like Sumatra. For example, it would cover the cost of rescuing, rehabilitating, and then re-releasing an orang utan into one of SOCP's protected sanctuaries. When you consider how few orang utans there are left, this is significant," says Mr Fraser.

"In this instance, the money will go towards funding an orang utan protection unit ($30,000) to protect orang utans, which in turn will help protect an abundance of other unique wildlife and flora at Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Sumatra's Jambi Province."

Auckland Zoo is working alongside Frankfurt Zoo in Germany, and Australia and Perth zoos, to fund orang utan protection units for SOCP.

"By working in partnership with other zoos and supportive commercial partners like ASB, as well as engaging New Zealanders, we really can all help make a difference to helping save some of the planet's most endangered animals," says Mr Fraser.

Over 90 per cent of Sumatran orang utan habitat has now been decimated by illegal logging and the growth of palm oil plantations. This, along with the illegal trade of infant orang utans, remains the biggest threat to the Sumatran orang utan's survival (population now just 7000).

In addition to the Headstart promotion, ASB also launched Kashin Dollars last July holidays, raising a further $4000 for SOCP, and two other Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF) projects – 21st Century Tiger, and Cheetah Outreach. Kashin Dollars will be available to purchase (for $1.00) at all other zoo events this year. These can be deposited into money boxes located around the zoo to raise money for the above as well as other AZCF conservation projects.