What animal is most similar to humans? Monkeys? Chimpanzees? Gorillas?

Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans all belong to the ‘Hominidae’ family. Among them, chimpanzees share about 99% of their DNA with humans, and orangutans share about 96%. However, when comparing physical characteristics, orangutans share 28 characteristics with humans, while chimpanzees only share 2. It seems that orangutans and chimpanzees are the most similar to humans.

Orangutan means ‘forest person.’ It is a word created by combining the Malay word ‘orang’ meaning ‘person’ and the word ‘hutan’ meaning ‘forest.’ Male orangutans are about 150 cm tall, and females are about 120 cm tall, making them smaller than humans, but they weigh about 80 kg for males and 50 kg for females, which is similar to humans. They live in groups, but spend most of their time alone, which is also similar to humans in a way.

Orangutans are also known for their high intelligence. The orangutan in this video, without any special training, is washing socks like a human. According to the explanation, it is imitating the person doing the laundry. The mimicry ability is truly amazing.

In addition, there are orangutans cutting down trees with saws,

and orangutans driving. … It seems like they could be considered human at this point.

Sadly, orangutans are classified as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, Sumatran orangutans, Tapanuli orangutans, and Bornean orangutans are listed as Critically Endangered (CR). The Critically Endangered (CR) status means that they are in imminent danger of extinction in the near future.

According to Greenpeace, the orangutan population is decreasing by 25 individuals every day. The reason is none other than ‘palm oil.’ Palm oil refers to vegetable oil. It is produced in large quantities because it is commonly found in most foods we eat. The problem is that the main production area of palm oil overlaps with the habitat of orangutans. Orangutans currently inhabit the islands of Borneo in Southeast Asia and Sumatra in Indonesia, while the main production area of palm oil is also in Indonesia and Malaysia. To produce large quantities of palm oil at once, forests are burned to create plantations. This process destroys the habitat of orangutans. Burning forests and destroying rainforests not only affects orangutans but also has a negative impact on the entire ecosystem.

There have also been reports of heartbreaking videos of orangutans clinging to trees in their habitat, which was destroyed by the people who are destroying the forests. In this video, the orangutan eventually collides with a bulldozer and falls to the ground, and is tranquilized by people around him. It is so heartbreaking to see the orangutan brutally lose its habitat and get tranquilized by humans.

As this news about orangutans was revealed, people started boycotting products containing palm oil. However, palm oil is already deeply entrenched in our lives and it is difficult to avoid. The IUCN said that boycotting or stopping palm oil production could actually lead to indiscriminate cultivation of other alternative plants, and that producing sustainable palm oil is the right solution. It seems that production companies and consumers need to continue to think about protecting orangutans and forests in the future.