We need your help now more than ever to save the forest, for the orangutans and other wildlife, in Borneo. Who are the real guardians of Tanjung Puting and the Orangutan Legacy Forest? You. OFI’s contributors and supporters. Donate Now Dear Friends of OFI, Today I am making a special, deeply urgent, and very personal… Continue reading Your support is needed: Help us guard the forest.
Author: Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas
Emergency Appeal: Care Center
May 2017 Dear Friend of OFI, Enon came to OFI as a young female orangutan after years of captivity. Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) worked hard to rehabilitate her. In 2014 we finally released Enon into the deep forests of Tanjung Puting National Park where we thought she would live out the rest of her life safe… Continue reading Emergency Appeal: Care Center
Emergency Appeal: Protect & Patrol
December 2016 Dear Friend of OFI, I find myself filled with heartache and even grief that I must inform you that poachers have returned to Tanjung Puting National Park. Tanjung Puting National Park is one of the last strongholds in Borneo for wild orangutans and other endangered wildlife. The Park is now being threatened by poachers… Continue reading Emergency Appeal: Protect & Patrol
OFI’s Translocations in Borneo
Wild orangutan populations in both Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) are in crisis and are considered highly endangered. Throughout the entire island of Borneo orangutan habitats are diminishing or vanishing. Ironically, the main localities where massive habitat destruction is not yet pervasive are the tropical rain forests of the rugged, mountainous interior of Borneo. These… Continue reading OFI’s Translocations in Borneo
Orangutan of the Month: Congo
Meeting Congo at OFI’s Care Center and Quarantine in Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan Tengah, is something that visitors don’t easily forget. He is impressive bcause of his large size, lustrous, long hair and his sheer charisma. He seems as tall as a human being when he stands up. He is still a subadult male with a… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month: Congo
What Makes Orangutans Intelligent
Numerous studies in the wild and in captivity indicate that the great apes, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, are among the smartest land animals on the planet. The question is why are they so smart. Does great ape sociality have anything to do with it? Orangutans live on two different large islands, Borneo and Sumatra. It… Continue reading What Makes Orangutans Intelligent
See Red
“Ewok,” the red leaf monkey infant at the Care Center There’s an old adage that says it takes a village to raise a child. Each day this phrase is put into action at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Pasir Panjang. There are many people involved in raising the numerous orangutan orphans that… Continue reading See Red
Orangutan Twins at Camp Leakey!
Orangutan twins are a rare occurrence in nature! On October 15,2009 an orangutan female named Tut gave birth to twins at Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Indonesian Borneo. She first appeared on the bridge in the morning carrying her two newborn infants . Since one of the twins seemed weak, the Camp… Continue reading Orangutan Twins at Camp Leakey!
Orangutan Natural History and Socioecology
Orangutans are the only great ape outside of Africa and they are uniquely adapted to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. During the Pleistocene, orangutans ranged throughout forests in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Vietnam and southern China. As climate slowly changed over nearly 1.8 million years, the orangutan range shifted southward. Orangutan populations have declined dramatically, perhaps by as much as 97%, in the 20th century
OFI fighting fires in Borneo
El Nino’s arrival has brought on severe drought to the region. During these long droughts, the forests of Borneo are much more vulnerable to fires. The land cleared for palm oil plantations and by farmers goes up in flames easily due to the dried and dead brush on the floor of the forest. What is… Continue reading OFI fighting fires in Borneo