Year: 2018

Orangutan of the Month for Dec, 2018: Wendy

Four in the morning and dawn is barely breaking over the Bornean rainforest. All is quiet as the forest and the animals within begin to stir. The rising sun brings with it the caregivers from the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ). It is an exceedingly early start for them. The working day normally begins… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Dec, 2018: Wendy

Help create wildlife corridors to protect wild orangutans.

  We need your help to prevent further wild orangutan population decline. Donate now to help us purchase land that will reduce forest destruction and fragmentation of rainforest habitat. Dear Friends of OFI, Today I am reaching out to make an urgent and personal appeal to you. As a supporter of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI)… Continue reading Help create wildlife corridors to protect wild orangutans.

Hockey’s Special Needs

Hockey’s Special Needs by Allison Leach “Special” is indeed the word that first comes to mind when thinking of the orangutan Hockey.  She came to the OFI Care Center as an orphan, like many other orangutans.  But unfortunately, her sensitive nature, in both spirit and body, left her vulnerable to a crippling stroke suffered before… Continue reading Hockey’s Special Needs

Orangutan of the Month for Nov, 2018: Caca

Caca by Emi Kusayanagi It’s another hot and sunny morning at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. At Camp Danielle, the youngest orangutans under the care of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) staff are out in the Infant Playground and Learning Forest. At the playground, the little orangutans are everywhere,… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Nov, 2018: Caca

Orangutan of the Month for Oct, 2018: Chewey

Chewey – is more than just an intergalactic icon Hermits, it seems, have gone out of vogue. These days socializing is what people are talking about. “It’s good for the brain” they say, “good for the heart.” Similarly to cloistered monks, Kalimantan’s orangutan males remain staunchly solitary. Time has been the best teacher. After thousands… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Oct, 2018: Chewey

Building a New Orangutan Playground

The Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo is constantly evolving to best serve the needs of orangutans and other wildlife under the care of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI). Sometimes, it is necessary to build entirely new structures to replace worn-out facilities or those that are no longer suitable for the growing… Continue reading Building a New Orangutan Playground

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Orangutan Awareness Week!

November 4-10 Orangutan Awareness Week (OAW) was first established by OFI in 1996 to honor the establishment of Camp Leakey during the first week of November in 1971. What began as a memorial to honor Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas’ research and orangutan conservation in Tanjung Puting National Park has become a world-wide celebration to spread… Continue reading Orangutan Awareness Week!

Caregiver Story: OFI Vets

Trust me, I’m a vet. Rescuing and caring for orangutans is serious business. However, it’s not all scrubs and surgeries around OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ). OFI’s professionals also savor the unique challenges and triumphs of working in wildlife protection. Here, our four stellar medics reflect on the highlights of their careers, and… Continue reading Caregiver Story: OFI Vets

OFI Translocated Orangutan Found Dead in Palm Oil Plantation

Dear Friends of OFI, I am devastated to share the following news with you, and must warn you of the graphic nature of the photographs associated with this article. On the heels of two known orangutan murders this year in our province of Central Indonesian Borneo, there is further disturbing news. Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) field… Continue reading OFI Translocated Orangutan Found Dead in Palm Oil Plantation

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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 24776 [post_author] => 14614 [post_date] => 2018-05-31 16:00:01 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-05-31 23:00:01 [post_content] => Orangutan Foundation International Employee Spotlight Ibu SumiWe all know that person around the office. Always on the go, they move like a phantom through the corridors; rewarding us with a bright smile before disappearing into the ether. This month we snatch a rare moment with Ibu Sumi, OFI’s very own friendly and busy staff member. Ibu Sumi is the Deputy Manager at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ), and a self-proclaimed “freelancer”. “Oh this and that” she says modestly, when pressed for her exact job description. “This and that” hardly begins to cover the breadth of her work. Ibu Sumi is important to OFI’s day-to-day activities. One only has to glance at the mountains of coconuts, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables that arrive at the gates every day, waiting to be distributed, to know that it takes a skilled, experienced logistician to feed hundreds of hungry primates and humans. Ibu Sumi’s connection to OFI runs deep and wide. It is a cause close to her heart, and the fact that a number of her family members support the organization through various jobs is a source of comfort. There is a relaxed and tranquil air about Ibu Sumi, belying the heap of work she must organize each week. Her long black hair is always swept back in a tidy ponytail; her fingernails are neat and short. Everything about her suggests quiet efficiency and attention to detail. Where does her orderly touch reach? “Everywhere” she laughs, gesturing widely. She ensures that OFI's numerous forest sites have the supplies they need. OFI camps dotting the banks of the black water Sekonyer River depend on Ibu Sumi for their resources. For the more isolated orangutan release sites and forest guard posts, a shipment from Ibu Sumi comes every week or two and feels like a delivery from a long-lost family member. [caption id="attachment_24782" align="alignright" width="300"]Montana flanged adult male cheekpadder orangutan Orangutan Foundation International Montana now[/caption] What binds this curious, energetic Dayak woman to an orangutan care center? “Sometimes I think it’s funny,” she concedes, “but I am very interested in orangutans and their lives. I really love orangutans.” Her career path became obvious when she was a volunteer, when an infant orangutan was rescued and brought to OFI’s care center when Ibu Sumi herself was very young. Little Montana, a partially disabled orangutan infant, charmed Ibu Sumi. Her actual words are that Montana “made [her] in love,” as if a spell beyond her control had been cast upon her. (Montana is now a fully cheekpadded flanged adult male). Ibu Sumi started working at OFI in July 1995. She was accepted as a volunteer at OFI when on holiday from high school. She took her tenure seriously and her bond to OFI became more apparent when she moved away from Kalimantan, to study English. “People thought, if I went away for University, I would change my mind. But it just made me miss orangutans even more. In Yogyakarta I would go to the zoo. I would ask the keeper hopefully, ‘are there any orangutans here?’ If I saw orangutans, it would make me happy. My friends would joke ‘ahhhh you are missing your family.’ They were right, I was there every Sunday,” she says affably. Why did she want to study English in University? It wasn’t an immediate love affair, she admits. In school, she hated English class and paid little attention to lessons. After spending a summer working at OFI’s Camp Leakey, however, the value of speaking an international language was obvious. “Many people from all over the world know Camp Leakey” she declares, “I became interested because of Dr. Biruté (OFI’s President, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas). Many guests came to visit her, and I would be with her and would hear them all talk in English. There were also international volunteers at OFI. It was interesting. I realized I needed to learn.” By graduation, she was a linguistic convert. A three-year diploma in Engish from Yogyakarta followed. Curious and ambitious, Ibu Sumi also studied Spanish. Ibu Sumi loves many aspects of her job. A highlight is spending time at Camp Danielle, a facility at OCCQ, playing with infant orangutans. She goes there when she has the opportunity. With animals always in her heart, Ibu Sumi’s outlook changes with the seasons. When Kalimantan’s interminable rainy season begins, she feels for the orangutans. “They can’t go out as often into the forest! And babies need to play,” she says matter of factly. Ibu Sumi cares for many, even during her time off. She relies heavily on her siblings to take care of her elderly parents. “I am very lucky to have them” she muses. Married to an OFI veterinarian, she can talk about orangutans well into the night. If her husband is caring for a particular orangutan, Ibu Sumi wants updates. Who is Ibu Sumi outside of work? She is a swimmer, a daughter, a wife, and a passionate lover of animals. Her voice gets hushed as she ponders what we can learn from orangutans. “Orangutans are the link between us and other animals,” she says. “Orangutans are so close to us, yet they are not quite human. So we can learn from them what is important in our lives. Fruit, for example, is important. By watching orangutans we can learn what is safe and perhaps necessary for us to eat.” On her dream vacation, she would have a chance to encounter the whole animal kingdom. “I need to visit other countries! I need to see other animals, not just Indonesian ones!” Another ambition is to visit OFI offices in other parts of the world, to see how they operate. She considers it everyone’s responsibility to become educated about the state of our planet. “Our activism has to start now,” she says, eyes downcast as she holds a book on the environment. “I am working for the orangutans. For the future, I am very hopeful that every single orangutan can be in the wild. And none are in captivity.” She says emphatically. “It is the dream.” Perhaps that is what keeps Ibu Sumi flitting between a fixed office and the expanses of Kalimantan. She knows that the temporary home of many wild born ex-captive orangutans who are being rehabilitated is at OFI’s Care Center, but for many orangutans, the real process of life and survival will start once they are back in the wild.

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