International Orangutan Day
August 19 · Level 7 · #854 of 2238
This day is a nod to the shaggy, red-haired apes of the tropical rainforest and to the struggle they face to survive. People mark it to tell the story of orangutans and to speak up for the forests they depend on.
How it is celebrated: conservation groups run online talks and fundraisers, zoos host keeper talks, and classrooms draw orangutans and put together projects about them. Many people use the day to choose products that did not cost the rainforest its trees.
Wild orangutans live only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Their name comes from Malay and means "person of the forest".