So, as some of you may know, this week is Orangutan Caring Week. Orangutans are one of four extant species of great ape, five if you include us. They are the only great ape species to live solitary lifestyles, the only ones with long red hair, and the only ones to spend a vast majority of their lifetimes in the treetops. There are two species, the sumatran and the bornean, living on the respective islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. Orangutan means "person of the forest" and, as you look at them, it isn't hard to see why. They share 97% of their DNA with us, so for all intents and purposes, they are our cousins.

Unfortunately, without our help, they won't be here. Estimates of wild populations of orangutans are not good, with Sumatran orangutans numbering at around 7,000, and Bornean at less than 30,000. Now, that wouldnt be so alarming if an orangutans interbirth interval (the length between having babies) wasn't 6-9 YEARS. Yes thats right. 6-9 YEARS between babies. That means, in a life of 50 years, a female orangutan may only have 4 or 5 babies. Orangutans are being pushed out of their jungle habitat by deforestation for palm oil plantations. Palm oil is used in many snack foods and soaps. Do we really want one of our cousins to go extinct from snacks?

I know I don't. For the past two years, I offered prints of an orangutan painting for Orangutan Caring Week. But last year... noone bought one. So this year, i'm trying something a little different. Tomorrow, November 17th, 2016, I will be streaming. All proceeds from this stream, where I will be doing $10 sketches and $20 icons, will go toward the adoption of a little 11 week old orphaned orangutan named Popi.

Popi was rescued with she was roughly 1-2 months old. When orangutan babies are that young, they are in constant contact with their mothers, and orangutan mothers are so protective that they will allow them selves to be killed in the effort to protect their children. That is, undoubtedly, what happened with little Popi and her mama. Popi watched her mama die. I know that sounds sensationalist... but it's the truth.

A video of little Popi can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/saveordele.....c_ref=NEWSFEED

If, after watching Popi, you feel motivated to do something, please check out these wonderful places in SUmatra and Borneo that do amazing work with orangutans and help rehabilitate them and release them into the forest:

http://www.sumatranorangutan.org/
https://redapes.org/
https://redapes.org/projects-partne...../iar-ketapang/
https://redapes.org/projects-partne.....nyaru-menteng/
http://orangutanprotection.com/
http://orangutancentre.org/
http://www.ovaid.org/

TLDR: im an angry conservationist who wants to help, so im streamin tomorrow, bring $10 for a sketch $20 for an icon and help orangutans!