The Animals
The orangutans are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were considered to be one species.
The Sumatran tiger is a rare tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2008 as the population was estimated at 441 to 679 individuals, with no subpopulation larger than 50 individuals and a declining trend.
The Sumatran rhinoceros is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although it is still a large mammal. This rhino stands 112–145 cm high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of 2.36–3.18 m and a tail of 35–70 cm. The weight is reported to range from 500 to 1,000 kg, averaging 700–800 kg, although there is a single record of a 2,000 kg specimen. Like both African species, it has two horns; the larger is the nasal horn, typically 15–25 cm, while the other horn is typically a stub. A coat of reddish-brown hair covers most of the Sumatran rhino's body.
So-called pygmy elephants live in both Africa and Asia. The African pygmy elephant, formerly described as "Loxodonta pumilio", is currently considered to be a tiny morph of the African forest elephant.
The sun bear is a bear found in tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. It is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN as the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout Southeast Asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for the sun bear. It is suspected that the global population has declined by more than 30% over the past three bear generations.
The clouded leopard is a cat found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as Vulnerable in 2008 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its total population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with a decreasing population trend, and no single population numbering more than 1,000 adults.
The proboscis monkey or long-nosed monkey, known as the bekantan in Malay, is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to the south-east Asian island of Borneo. This species co-exists with the Bornean Orangutan. It belongs in the monotypic genus Nasalis, although the pig-tailed langur has traditionally also been included in this genus.