based on vocabulary & cognitive studies, an adult orangutan is about as intelligent as an average 6-year-old. which is a shame, really, as it means that they are probably aware that they are becoming extinct. they only exist on 2 tiny islands, now, and recent sharp declines mean that they will probably be the first of the great apes to disappear, followed by bonobos, gorillas, and chimps.in other happy earth news, our coral reefs are dying fast, mosquitos blanket the flooded midwest (but at least there's no malaria yet), and 12 out of 19 penguin species are in trouble.
causes for the above: climate change, pollution, overfishing, lumber companies, bush meat poaching, human sprawl, & good, old-fashioned monkey-mindedness.