About OFI

About OFI

Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wild orangutans and their rainforest habitat. OFI also supports research on orangutans and forests, education initiatives, both local and international, and brings awareness concerning orangutans wherever it can.

OFI is profoundly committed to the welfare of all orangutans, whether captive, ex-captive, or wild. Established by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and associates in 1986, OFI operates Camp Leakey, an orangutan research center, within Tanjung Puting National Park. OFI also runs the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) facility in the Dayak village of Pasir Panjang near Pangkalan Bun, which is home to 330 displaced orangutans.

It also helps manage the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, where rehabilitated wild born ex-captive orangutans were released into the wild. Through its field programs, OFI also provides employment at these facilities for over 200 local Indonesians. OFI also owns Rusti, an adult male orangutan rescued from a backyard zoo in New Jersey, now on permanent loan to the Honolulu Zoo in Hawaii. OFI built his magnificent enclosure which covers a good part of an acre.

Our Mission

• Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) core mission is the conservation of orangutans and the tropical rainforest that is their habitat. These strategies include:
  • Create and promote awareness campaigns that disseminate knowledge and understanding of orangutans as a critically endangered species and one of humankind’s closest living relatives in the animal kingdom
  • Actively protect wild orangutans and their native habitat through land purchase, patrol teams, and building local and international support coalitions
  • Rescue, rehabilitate, and release ex-captive and orphaned orangutans into safe and secure sites in the wild
  • Conduct research on orangutans, their ecology, and their behavior
  • Promote the conservation of all endangered wildlife and habitats in Borneo and SumatraOur vision for the future includes:
  • Ample tropical rainforest habitat that can sustain wild orangutan populations, allowing them to not only be saved from extinction but to thrive in their natural environment
  • A galvanized public that appreciates, respects, and understands orangutans as unique and significant creatures

• RescueOFI is frequently contacted by government officials and private individuals when orangutans are in danger. OFI’s Rescue Teams translocate wild orangutans to safer locations as necessary and provide immediate medical attention.
• Rehabilitation all orangutans at OFI’s Care Center (the OCCQ) receive one-on-one attention from dedicated caregivers who help teach foraging and nest-building skills in a nearby forest and who also supply orangutans with stimulating enrichment activities both in the forest and in the orangutan sleeping enclosures.
• Release all orangutans returned to the wild undergo thorough health checks before being released into the wild. OFI is committed to providing lifelong support to all orangutans who have been under our care. We only release wild-born ex-captive orangutans at sites with permanent facilities and staff to guarantee safety and well-being.
• Land Purchase & ProtectionOFI purchases forest land before palm oil companies can destroy it. OFI persuaded the Indonesian government to establish the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve in 1998 and is actively working to establish the Orangutan Legacy Forest (OLF) which will include the Rawa Kuno Legacy Forest (6,400 hectares) and link to the Pasir Panjang Village Protected Forest via a forested corridor of land.
• Reseeding & Planting ProjectsOFI works to restore degraded forest areas through a program of tree planting and promoting species diversity.