Angelo The Orangutan Awaiting An Operation To Have Air Gun Pellets Removed In North Sumatra

Patiently waiting for his medical examination, orangutan Angelo almost resembles a worried human lying on an operation table.

After being severely injured by air-gun pellets in an Indonesian palm oil plantation, he was brought to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) care centre so that he could recover.

The rising global demand for palm oil, used for cosmetics, bio-fuel and food, causes the Indonesian government to replace its rainforest with gigantic palm oil plantations. With their natural habitat lost, Indonesian orangutans have gone almost completely extinct. The SOCP has rescued 280 orangutans so far and released 200 of them to the wild again after their recovery.

Photo: Sandra Hoyn