Customer Reviews

Orangutans: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation

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This book has gorgeous photos that will make you fall in love with orangutans - the people of the forest. It also has very good explanations about the animal and forest characteristics. HOWEVER, the authors have missed a huge opportunity to move people to protect this endangered great ape. The book's conclusion is very disappointing, in that it pretty much lets the oil palm companies off the hook for their wanton destruction of the orangutan's rainforest. (Since this book promotes the WWF perspective, one has to wonder if some corporate "partnership" is involved here.)

If someone wants an accurate portrayal of this spectacular animal -- and the spectacular annihilation of its habitat -- I strongly recommend "Thinkers of the Jungle: The Orangutan Report" by Gerd Schuster, Willie Smits, and Jay Ullal. Be warned: "Thinkers" has some disturbing pictures of the cruelty being inflicted, to this day, on our close relatives. There is no corporate greenwash in this book.Thinkers of the Jungle

I bought this book for my grad. student daughter who spent 9 months in Indonesia studying orangutans. It's a great book and a great bargain. Many of the book's wonderful photographs are similar to photos she emailed home. This book helped us "experience" her great adventure.