As of 2010, the island of Sumatra has only 4,000 orangutans, a devastatingly low number, because poachers sell them as pets. Orangutans only work out as domestic pets for around five years. Orangutans only work out as domestic pets for around five years before they are too large and too wild for most people to handle in their homes.
The Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard on the planet and a distant relative of dinosaurs. Volcanic activity, deforestation and tourism have ruined much of their habitat on the small islands where they live, although several protected areas exist for them. For instance, the Komodo National Park utilizes five islands to provide a safe habitat for them.
The Javan Rinoceros is the world's scarcest animal with fewer than 50 left alive in 2010. The majority, 44, live at Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Banten, Indonesia. So few of these animals exist that the death of one from natural causes makes headlines. Conservationists have made major efforts to preserve this species, although the numbers of them left is dwindling.
Gibbons are native to western Indonesia, and they have been protected since 1925 because they are victims of illegal trade. The majority of rescued gibbons were confiscated by Indonesian authorities during illegal trade at markets, although some had owners who raised them as pets. Their owners gave them up when they realized that they are not meant to be house pets. Some live in zoos, while others live in rescue centers.
