By law, orangutans and the entire rain forest are to be protected but parts of it have become scenes of magnificent desolation. Where pristine rain forest once lay, there are now acres of barren fields of sand. To bind the gold together, they add mercury to the mix. For the miners, it's a day soaked in poison for a handful of gold dust while the future of the forest is sent downstream. The Indonesian government has so far done nothing to stop the miners and the loggers.
Orangutans are the slowest breeding apes in the world.
In the last 10 years, the population has dropped 50 percent. Because of this, when females are killed, Galdikas rescues the infants. There may be as few as 10,000 orangutans left in the wild. Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved.