2016 Orangutan Caring Week: Critically Endangered, Critically in Need

PEN is a proud partner of the 2016 Orangutan Caring Week

The 2016 Orangutan Caring Week’s theme is “Critically Endangered, Critically in Need”, a sad reminder that all orangutans are now critically endangered.

From November 13 – 19, we at PEN encourage you to show your support for orangutan conservation, and to help, we’re providing a few ideas that educators can use to raise awareness. All of the materials below can be downloaded from PEN’s Resource Library.

Wear orangutan props and share a fun fact to spread the word! We used ear muffs for cheek pads and a knit scarf for an arm span.

Wear orangutan props and share a fun fact to spread the word! We used earmuffs for cheek pads and a knit scarf for an arm span.

1. Wear an Orangutan Beard
Male orangutans grow a beard and moustache when they become adults. Some also have distinctive cheek pads (flanges) and produce long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals. Download an orangutan beard mask, courtesy of the Sumatran Orangutan Society, and wear it to show your primate pride. While you’re wearing your beard, you can practice vocalizing like an orangutan too!

2. Make a Paper Craft Orangutan
The creative folks at Canon have come up with a wonderful orangutan 3D model that students can make using these assembly instructions. Teach a lesson on orangutans, decorate your classroom with the models, and then let students take them home as an ongoing reminder of the need to protect these beautiful apes.

3. Are You Smarter Than an Orangutan?
It’s quiz time! Test your students’ knowledge with this fun game based on the TV quiz show.

4. Enjoy Story Time
Download this comic book and join Ranger Rick and his traveling companions Scarlett Fox and Sammy Squirrel as they explore the wildlife of Indonesia and wonder: where are all the orangutans?

5. Learn About Palm Oil
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo developed a handy resource kit full of information about palm oil, how it effects orangutans, and what you can do to help protect orangutan habitat by using products that contain Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.

6. Show Your Support with a Selfie
Download PEN’s selfie templates and post on our Facebook page or tweet us on Twitter with your Orangutan Caring Week messages!

Thank you for joining PEN and our colleagues around the world in promoting orangutan conservation!

Looking for orangutan education resources?
Find and download materials from PEN's Resource Library!

Fiona Young-BrownThis blog was written by PEN volunteer Fiona Young-Brown. Fiona has served as a volunteer with PEN since 2013. Her love of primates developed as a child in England when she frequently visited the gorillas at the Howletts Wild Animal Park. Dreams of being the next Dian Fossey were waylaid by other adventures. For three years, she taught in rural Japan. She then did graduate work in women’s studies and medical anthropology at the University of Iowa. A former teacher turned writer, she now makes her home in Kentucky.

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