December 2014: An orangutan died in Kalimantan province in Borneo after being found on a palm oil plantation with 40 air rifle pellets in her body. Kalimantan is internationally acknowledged as a sanctuary for the endangered orangutan. In a statement the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) said: "An x-ray result showed 10 pellets in the head, 8 pellets in the left leg and pelvis, 18 pellets in the right leg and pelvis, as well as six pellets in the chest and right hand." (Metro news: 7. 12. 2014) This death has added to a long list of conflict between between industry and wildlife. BOS has urged the Indonesian government to take real action and make a genuine commitment to protect the primate (Channel News Asia).
As corporations move in to clear and replace the forests of Indonesia with a palm oil monoculture, indigenous people are displaced and many animals like the orangutan who call the rainforest home are killed, and poorly paid labour is employed to do the clearing and harvesting.
Some corporations and suppliers have taken steps to improve their palm oil policies but this is not enough. We need more noise, more fuss, more stink; hit where it hurts: the bank balance. Consumers have this power. Support the BOS and do this for the orangutan who died for no good reason.
