Planet earth is currently home to seven billion people . In comparison, the approximately 60,000 orangutans remaining in the wild represent an exceedingly small number. Despite this 140,000-fold difference in current population size, analysis of the orangutan genome yields a surprising discovery: orangutans are much more genetically diverse than humans.
Louis Leakey was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist who devoted his life to uncovering the early phases of human evolution. Using the scientific tools available at the time, he set out to study hominid fossils in Olduvai Gorge, a ravine in the Great Rift Valley in eastern Africa. His discoveries proved that humans originally evolved in Africa,… Continue reading Orangutan genome (part 1): The quest for Leakey’s ancestral great ape
When I arrived at the Care Center more than six months ago, Ben was the smallest infant in OFI’s care. He always seemed a little timid, and when he was taken into the forest, he was often too afraid to explore the trees. Instead, he liked to cuddle up in a caregiver’s lap where he… Continue reading Brave Little Ben: Orangutan of the month
Seluang Mas is a very special place. Chosen after extensive ground surveys and GIS satellite map readings by Pak Robert Yappi and Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, it is difficult to access. The area consists of magnificent, barely untouched rain forest, much of it peat swamp forest. Located at the edge of Tanjung Puting National Park,… Continue reading Free again – a visit to one of OFI’s releases
The Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine(OCCQ) is surrounded by several camps that consist of sleeping enclosures for the orangutans and basic facilities for staff. Pondok Medang is one of these camps, located within OFI’s rehabilitation forest and currently home to 25 adolescent orangutans who are preparing for permanent release into the wild. When you visit… Continue reading Orangutan of the month: Vanessa
Orangutan Foundation International coordinates its programs with the support of the following Indonesian Government Agencies:
Eyes on the Forest – OFI’s Monthly Update
