A population of 200 of the world's rarest orangutans was found tucked away in the forests of the island of Borneo, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
All subspecies of Bornean orangutans are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
But scientists estimate just 3,000 to 4,500 individuals are left in the subspecies known as Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus, making them the most severely threatened.
Two-thousand of those live in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, researchers say.
The previously unknown population was found by conservationists near the Batang park, in an area covering about 54 square miles (140 square kilometers).
Local communities apparently had been aware of the apes, but no major research projects had been undertaken in the area until February, when conservations with WCS and other groups surveyed the region.
They found a total of 995 orangutan nests, including fresh nests that indicated the rare population was recently using the area.
Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Secret orangutan population found on Borneo
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