International Orangutan Day was established to promote conservation of orangutans and their habitat. With only 50,000 to 65,000 orangutans remaining in the wild, and up to 3,000 being killed annually, the IUCN classifies them as critically endangered. In the last 20 years, orangutans have lost over 80% of their natural habitat. Over one third of the populations was lost during devastating wildfires of 1997-98. Wild orangutans face multiple threats, most notably a loss of habitat via deforestation and planting of palm oil plantations as well as illegal hunting and illegal pet trade.
