Author: Morgan Pettersson

OFI Still Fighting the Forest Fires of 2015

In 2015, deliberately lit fires raged across the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. As the fires grew increasingly out of control and smoke hung heavy and thick over the region, the Indonesian government declared six provinces in the archipelago to be under a state of emergency. One of the six provinces was Central Kalimantan,… Continue reading OFI Still Fighting the Forest Fires of 2015

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Orangutan of the Month for March 2017: Lumley

Without a doubt my favorite time of each day at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) is seeing the orphaned orangutans climbing and swinging in the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) Learning Forest in Borneo. Seeing these magnificent creatures in the trees, where they belong, is something to look forward to every day.  The infant… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for March 2017: Lumley

Orangutan Care Series: The Juveniles

Without a doubt, the most lively and boisterous age group of orphaned orangutans at the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) are the juveniles. Between five and nine years of age, these juvenile orangutans are full of energy and curiosity. From their initial arrival at the OCCQ, orphaned orangutans are lovingly… Continue reading Orangutan Care Series: The Juveniles

Orangutan of the Month for Feb 2017: Penelope Cruz

Sitting in the nursery forest at OFI’s Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine, I scan the treetops unsuccessfully for “Penelope Cruz”- not the famous female actor, but rather the orangutan I am here to observe. Suddenly, a passing tree branch slaps me in the face. I look up to see Penelope pass me without a backward… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Feb 2017: Penelope Cruz

Meet the Faces of the OCCQ

Orphaned orangutans are given a second chance at a life in the wild at Orangutan Foundation International’s Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Indonesia. After being tragically separated from their mothers who are killed in the process of deforestation, these vulnerable orphaned orangutans are loved and cared for by OFI’s dedicated caregivers. These men… Continue reading Meet the Faces of the OCCQ

Radiant Ray

To look at Ray is to look at a vision of tranquility. He radiates serenity in the midst of the seemingly frenzied orangutan infant playground at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine in Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan. Ray is only an infant, and yet he seems wise beyond his years. Often when I am sitting and… Continue reading Radiant Ray

Observe the World with Yosuke

Each and every orangutan at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Kalimantan has an individual personality that distinguishes them from their peers. Choosing just one orangutan to feature as each month’s “Orangutan of the Month” can often be a taxing endeavor as the OCCQ oranugtans all stand apart and are all unique. But… Continue reading Observe the World with Yosuke

Orangutan Care Series: The Infants

Since its establishment in 1971, Orangutan Foundation International (then termed Orangutan Research and Conservation Program) has cared for vulnerable orphaned orangutans who have been brutally separated from their mothers, along with older injured and displaced orangutans. Without a doubt, the most helpless orangutans at the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ) are the newly arrived… Continue reading Orangutan Care Series: The Infants

News from the Field: Bringing the Forest Back

After fighting the devastating fires of 2015, Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) is as dedicated as ever to the protection of rainforest and orangutan habitat in Borneo. Unfortunately, large areas of OFI’s Orangutan Legacy Forest (OLF) that had been purchased and placed under protection burned in the 2015 fires, despite the relentless firefighting efforts of OFI… Continue reading News from the Field: Bringing the Forest Back

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 16043 [post_author] => 10393 [post_date] => 2016-04-06 12:52:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-04-06 19:52:00 [post_content] => 2016-02-01_Rawa Kuno Pos 6_MHP_01_wmAfter fighting the devastating fires of 2015, Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) is as dedicated as ever to the protection of rainforest and orangutan habitat in Borneo. Unfortunately, large areas of OFI’s Orangutan Legacy Forest (OLF) that had been purchased and placed under protection burned in the 2015 fires, despite the relentless firefighting efforts of OFI staff. Almost 2,000 ha of this forest burned. Most of the burned forest consisted of peat swamp which is difficult to protect. You can stop the fires in the trees above the ground but you can’t easily stop the fires raging underground since the dry peat soil provides fuel for fires to continue burning underneath the forest. The fire then comes up in areas some distance from the initial fires through cracks and fissures in the ground. This is similar to the coal fires that have long been burning underground in Pennsylvania since the 1950’s.
2016-03-04_OCCQ_temp nursery_Pak Harits_MHP_01_wmAs the cleanup from the fires began at the end of the dry season, OFI Founder and President Dr. Birutė Mary Galdikas decided that OFI needed not only to protect forest, but also to reforest. OFI had planted trees in the past but these projects had only involved five thousand trees at a time. This new long-term project will be much more ambitious. It will probably take ten years to reforest the areas that were destroyed by the fires. Yet without taking this proactive step, orangutan habitat will continue to be fragmented and eventually disappear, without much chance of providing a future home for an increasing number of orphaned and injured orangutans under OFI’s care. Also, the habitat available to the relic wild orangutan population in the Orangutan Legacy Forest (OLF) has now been considerably diminished and needs to be expanded.
2016-02-16_OCCQ_temp nursery_Pak Sia_Pak Manis_Pak Kris_MHP_01_wmSuch an immense project can be overwhelming, but with OFI’s energetic newly formed ‘reforestation team’ on the ground, things are already moving along. Initial replanting sites have been identified and work is underway to construct a nursery capable of holding the hundreds of thousands of seedlings that will be needed each year. In order to successfully reforest, the reforestation team needs to source both seedlings and seeds from locally growing tree species that are also native to the burned areas of the OLF.
2016-02-16_OCCQ_temp nursery_MHP_02_wmPart of the initial success of this project lies in the fact that the forest is not only vital for the survival of orangutans and other rare animal species, but is also significant to the tribal Dayak people of Borneo. As a result, the local OFI staff, many of whom are indigenous, have sprung into action, collecting seeds and seedlings from the forest and planting them in poly bags. A temporary nursery has already been set up at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) and every day the staff tend the seedlings and bring more to the nursery. All local staff are passionate about this project. They understand the need for it. Everyone has invested great hope in these seedlings and their contribution to future forest regeneration.
2016-01-29_OCCQ_temp nursery_Pak Hansen_Pak Manis_MHP_01_wmThe reforestation project has just been launched and OFI is optimistic that it will be a success. To be frank, it has to be. With rainforests in Borneo continuing to disappear due to the irresponsible actions of palm oil, mining, and illegal logging companies and groups, it is key that we not only protect the forest that is still intact but also work to restore previously forested areas. The process will take time and may not generate habitat as ideal as the primary rain forests that recently burned across Borneo, but it will eventually provide homes for the many animals who inhabit the forest. In the continued fight to protect rainforests and orangutans, OFI will use all the tools at its disposal to ensure a safe future for wild Bornean orangutans and their orphaned ex-captive kin.
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