Sumatran orangutans are in
trouble: Only about 6,600 of the animals are left, scattered throughout the
northern tip of the Indonesian island where they once flourished.
A new genetic study of the animals
has found that deforestation on Sumatra has isolated different groups of the
primates, which could lead to inbreeding and further decline. But the research
also identified a critical corridor of forested hills that orangutans still
travel though, which, if protected, could help the species rebound, according
to a release describing the study.
The investigators took DNA
from wild orangutan's hair and fecal samples, as well as blood samples from
orangutans from known areas that were kept as pets before being confiscated by
authorities.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!