ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Orangutans are critically endangered, but a Minnesota zookeeper is helping to save them.
Megan Elder, a zookeeper at Como Zoo in St. Paul, is the International Orangutan Studbook Keeper, meaning she's the genealogist for captive orangutans. She recently had an incredible experience when she returned to Borneo, an island in the Pacific Ocean, to help release rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild.
"It can take 10 years or more to rehabilitate orangutans," she explained.
In the wild, baby orangutans are dependent on their mother longer than any other animal.
"They go out into the forest and teach them to climb trees and make nests," Elder said.
One of the orangutans scheduled to be released in Borneo was Santa, who was found at the age of three near a village without a mother.
Elder was the one who released her back into the wild.
"For me that was a very magical moment to get on that crate and pull that door and watch that orangutan go right up into the trees!" Elder said.
So why are these apes endangered? The biggest problem is losing their habitat as a result of palm oil plantations.
Palm oil has made it into many of our processed foods, but it comes at a cost.
"One thing we like to do is empower our visitors because there is something they can do," Elder said.
There are groups working toward growing palm oil in a sustainable fashion because there is no way to get around it, Elder explained.
You can help, too, by checking your products for sustainable palm oil. Click here to find the app that lets you scan barcodes of products to see if they use sustainable palm oil or not.
To learn more about Elder's work and how you can help, visit the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory website here.