Author: Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas

Spring 2021 Appeal

This year Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) and I entered our 50th year – half a century – in Borneo! We have made a huge difference and continue our vital work. One of our main efforts has been rehabilitating orphan orangutan infants whose wild mothers have been killed during the massive deforestation that is slaughtering wildlife… Continue reading Spring 2021 Appeal

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IN MEMORIAM: HOCKEY Orangutan of the Month Remembered December 2020 and January 2021

At OFI we enjoy the highs but we also must endure the lows. It is with a heavy heart that we inform our friends and supporters that after a short illness (non-Covid19 related) wild born ex-captive female orangutan “Hockey” passed away in her sleep. Thankfully, she was not alone as her faithful carer and nurse… Continue reading IN MEMORIAM: HOCKEY Orangutan of the Month Remembered December 2020 and January 2021

Fall Appeal

Over the last few decades, because of your support, our Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) has been able to successfully rescue, care for, and release over 800 wild born ex-captive orangutans to life in the wild as well as rescue over 100 wild orangutans from human conflicts, primarily in the process of deforestation. Although… Continue reading Fall Appeal

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Emergency Appeal

During this time of struggle against a global pandemic, now more than ever we need your help to continue the important work of saving orangutans in Borneo and ensuring their protection from COVID-19! Friends of OFI: We need your help. All great apes, including orangutans, seem to be vulnerable to human respiratory diseases so when… Continue reading Emergency Appeal

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Help us fight the destruction of tropical rain forest

Dear Friends of OFI, Despite all the attention paid to the destruction of tropical rain forests throughout the world, deforestation has continued unabated over the last few decades. This is particularly true in Borneo where OFI has been working to protect and conserve wild orangutan populations and their only habitat, tropical rain forest, for almost… Continue reading Help us fight the destruction of tropical rain forest

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Help Us Fight Increasing Wildfires

Photo of Indonesian wildfire  Photo credit: Ulet Ifansasti NY Times       Dear Friends of OFI, From June until October 2019 OFI staff were once again called upon to fight fierce fires that threatened orangutan habitat, national forests, OFI facilities and release sites. Wildfires such as these ravage primary forest, orangutan habitat, and reduce it to smoke… Continue reading Help Us Fight Increasing Wildfires

Help us prevent wildlife trafficking to keep orangutans and other Bornean wildlife, wild.

Dear Friends of OFI, The crisis face orangutans and forests in Borneo is getting worse. As a long-time supporter and friend, we urgently ask for your help to prevent the further annihilation of wild orangutan populations and Indonesian forests by wildlife traffickers, poachers, and illegal loggers. As forests in Borneo are being increasingly ravaged by… Continue reading Help us prevent wildlife trafficking to keep orangutans and other Bornean wildlife, wild.

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.

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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The siege on wild orangutans is real and it is happening now. We need your help now more than ever to help shape the future of these magnificent creatures and the forests they call home.

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Protect and patrol orangutans forest Borneo Indonesia palm oil donate Orangutan Foundation International

Dear Friends of OFI,

There is good news and bad news.

2018 began with heartbreak and tragedy. It is with deep anguish that I will relate some recent events. I dread beginning my letter in this way, but I believe it is of utmost importance that you – our supporter, advocate, and friend – are aware of the dire situation facing orangutans in Indonesia.

In January a male orangutan was found dead, floating in a river in our province, Central Kalimantan. He had been beaten, stabbed, shot with an air rifle, and decapitated. It is evident that this orangutan suffered extensive trauma before he was finally killed. Fortunately, the police took this incident very seriously due to extensive outrage on social media. The police investigated and two plantation workers were arrested in relation to this crime.

Then in February a second orangutan was found almost dead. He had been shot with an air rifle, rendering him blind. He had severe bruises all over his body from blunt force trauma. Although miraculously found alive, he passed away from his injuries the following day. Never has an orangutan been found alive in such an appalling condition. Four farmers and a 13-year-old boy were arrested for this crime.

The siege on wild orangutans is real and it is happening now.

As extreme deforestation continues, more and more orangutans become refugees, fleeing destruction and coming into closer contact with palm oil plantations and farms. Misguided plantation workers and farmers view orangutans as monsters, pests, food, or a quick source of cash, as some plantation owners will pay handsomely to have orangutans killed. However, these orangutans are not just killed, they are tortured. They suffer unspeakable acts of cruelty before they are executed or left for dead.

This senseless, unnecessary violence does not have to continue. There is another way.

I will share another story with you now; an alternative path to the horrific fate that far too many orangutans fall victim. A story of resilience, compassion, survival, and hope.

Noni was discovered as a tiny infant. Her mother was killed when their forest home was cleared to make room for plantations. Noni would not have survived as a vulnerable orphan on her own. She would have starved, been captured and sold into the black market as an ill-fated pet, or tortured and killed. Fortunately, she was brought to Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) facility.

Noni was sick when she arrived at the OCCQ. Our staff gave her round the clock attention, even sleeping with her every night to ensure her comfort and monitor her condition. Daily medical attention, rehabilitative care, and love from OFI’s dedicated team helped Noni regain her health and strength. Our caregivers became the best possible replacement for the mother she lost, and soon Noni began to thrive. She gained forest skills and grew into a smart, responsive, and calm orangutan with beautiful eyes and a healthy coat of orange hair.

The time came for her to return to the wild as a strong and confident adolescent orangutan. The day of Noni’s release was bittersweet. Her caregivers were sad to say goodbye but elated that she had a second chance at survival and freedom in her rightful home. OFI staff drove Noni and three other rehabilitated females to a safe release site. When the gate of her crate opened, Noni calmly observed her surroundings, socialized with the other released females, and began building a nest. She applied all the forest skills she learned at the OCCQ and became a successful free ranging orangutan.

Noni was recently spotted in the forest, three years after her release, with an infant of her own.

How do we ensure that more orangutans have a future like Noni’s? How do we stop the brutality and violence we have seen against so many wild orangutans? The answer is clear. We must halt orangutan habitat destruction by purchasing and protecting safe forested areas. We must rescue orangutans that are in danger, rehabilitate them, and safely release them back into protected wild spaces. We must educate locals and the global public about orangutans. We must provide a future of freedom and peace for wild orangutans, rather than one of torture and extinction.

Noni thrived in the wild because she had a safe, expansive habitat to roam. When orangutans are discovered near plantations, farms, or other dangerous areas, they need to be translocated and released into protected forest areas. Otherwise they may suffer a horrific fate. Our Protect and Patrol program actively protects areas of forest through patrol teams, guard towers, fences, and local support to secure the forest for its wild inhabitants.

That is my mission and the mission of OFI. Will you join us? We need your help now more than ever. I am asking you to make a gift today, as significant as possible, that will help shape the future of these magnificent creatures and the forests they call home. Every bit will help.

Will you please make a gift today in support of our Protect and Patrol program, to help us end the violence and ensure a peaceful future for wild orangutans?

With deep and abiding gratitude,
Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas
OFI President



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