About Gunung Leuser National Park
The Gunung Leuser National park is a fragile, but very diverse ecosystem. It is threatend by deforestation, palm oil plantations and illegal logging. Read more about the problem of palm oil. And many of the wildlife is in danger as well. This rainforest is home to such rare mammals as the mighty Sumatran tiger, the rhinoceros, the elephant and the Malaysian honey bear which are threatened in the existence of their species. The continous destruction of the rainforests around Bukit Lawang has pushed the orangutans to the edge of extinction. Currently there are only app. 14,000 remaining orangutans in the wild making this species classified as endangered.
The Sumatra Orangutan Society is one of the NGOs helping to protect the ecosystem.Making people aware of the crisis surrounding the orangutans and other wildlife of the Nationalpark is one of our goals. We also believe that responsible and ethical jungle trekking will help to save the rainforest by providing a high level of care and education to tourists. We are against unnatural and abusive practices and strive to improve animal welfare and to promote education.
On a trekking in the Gunung Leuser Nationalpark you may encounter, besides the orangutans, Thomas Leaf monkey, tucans, snakes, monitor lizards, gibbons, macaques, many insects, huge butterflies.