Author: Janie Dubman

Help us save his rainforest habitat

In the Indonesian language, “Kubu” means stronghold—a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack.  And so it is fitting that OFI has been working with residents and leaders of the village of Kubu in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to purchase and permanently protect their 2,800-acre village forest, an important part… Continue reading Help us save his rainforest habitat

Changing weather, Changing Ecosystems

For the human and animal dwellers of Borneo, monsoons, droughts, and other extreme weather conditions are nothing new. The equatorial climate of this mega-island can be famously inhospitable. As such, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and the entire OFI team of staff, researchers, and volunteers have become accustomed to working to protect orangutans under any and… Continue reading Changing weather, Changing Ecosystems

It’s Our Job to Help Keep Orangutans Safe in any weather.

These days, it’s difficult to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television or Internet and not find a headline story in the news about extreme weather. It seems high temperatures, heavy rains, drought conditions, and wildfires are wrecking havoc on communities throughout the world. But what the average person considers to be extreme… Continue reading It’s Our Job to Help Keep Orangutans Safe in any weather.

OFI family unites.

Feeding a large family is never easy. But when that family includes hundreds of hungry orangutans with big appetites, ‘meal time’ becomes a daily epic adventure to provide a steady supply of the nutrients, calories and variety that are essential to raising healthy great apes. Most of the orphans that come to our Care Center… Continue reading OFI family unites.

Conservation on the ground

At nineteen years old, young Sia defied his father’s wishes and began a job which he had wanted since elementary school.
When Sia was 10 years old, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas was already hiring Dayaks (natives of Borneo) for her Orangutan Research and Conservation Project in his home village of Pasir Panjang. Dr. Galdikas was Louis Leakey’s third primatologist protégée, following the footsteps of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey in studying wild great apes.

Celebrating Kiki’s Life

Kiki’s face was one of the first ones to greet visitors to OFI’s Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ). She hung out on the cool front porch of the main building, in her customary belly-down sprawl. Kiki first arrived in the OCCQ on June 6, 1999, a two year old infant.  At first, she lived… Continue reading Celebrating Kiki’s Life

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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2305 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2010-06-06 20:14:57 [post_date_gmt] => 2010-06-07 03:14:57 [post_content] => Kiki’s face was one of the first ones to greet visitors to OFI’s Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ). She hung out on the cool front porch of the main building, in her customary belly-down sprawl. Kiki first arrived in the OCCQ on June 6, 1999, a two year old infant.  At first, she lived with the other orphans in the original wooden nursery at the edge of the peatswamp forest and was provided one-on-one care by her human surrogate mother, a local assistant. Sadly, in 2004, an unknown disease which affected two other infant orangutans, paralyzed her from the neck down. The disease resembled polio. Kiki was permanently relocated to the main care center building where she was actively treated with massages and physiotherapy to maintain healthy circulation and muscle elasticity. [caption id="attachment_2711" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Kiki in a typical pose lying on a blanket in the forest"]Kiki in a typical pose lying on a blanket in the forest[/caption] The staff and volunteers of OCCQ were saddened by Kiki’s death on February 24, 2010. Swelling and other complications arising from her condition had come on rapidly, and despite the veterinarians’ best effort, treatment was not successful. We hope she went on to a good place. During her 11 years with us, Kiki caused much joy and laughter to her friends and caregivers. When offered peanuts, her favourite snack, she would blow raspberries and spit demanding more, and then use her strong jaw to pull herself across the floor towards her crunchy goal. During her daily outings to the forest, she would sit on her specially designed wheeled padded chair, and be rolled into the forest with a royal expression on her gentle face. Like a princess, too, she accepted the treats and special tidbits brought to her by her caregivers, Mrs. Suci and Mrs. Lilin. At night, Kiki slept in her own room, complete with AC and a pile of towels. She is missed. [caption id="attachment_2713" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Kiki sitting with one of her caregivers at the Care Center. Kiki was able to sit if she could be propped up against a wall."]Kiki sitting with one of her caregivers at the Care Center.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2709" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Kiki the orangutan leans back in her special chair as she is taken out on her daily stroll."]Kiki the orangutan[/caption] [post_title] => Celebrating Kiki's Life [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => kiki-obituary [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-06-12 12:25:23 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-06-12 19:25:23 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://174.120.128.58/~orangut/?p=2305 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw )