Orangutan Of The Month: Enigmatic Nawi

August, 7 2015


There are over three hundred orangutans at the Orangutan Foundation International’s Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan, Indonesia. When it’s time to choose an orangutan to profile each month for OFI’s website, narrowing it down to just one can be overwhelming! Each and every orphan orangutan, big or small, is charismatic in…

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Orangutan of the Month: Getting to know ESRI

July, 3 2015


Out of all the orangutans I met during my stay at the Care Center, none surprised me quite as much as ESRI did. With her long, tapered face and somewhat crossed eyes, ESRI’s appearance is sweetly demure, yet she was one of the first orangutans to test me as a new OFI volunteer. In my first…

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Saving Rosemary and ESRI: Returning to the Light!

June, 30 2015


I had the pleasure of participating in Orangutan Foundation International’s Eco tour in July 2010 together with eleven others from the US and UK, organised by Irene Spencer and led by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas. During our tour of the Orangutan Care Center we were introduced to an orangutan called Rosemary and her daughter Rodnee,…

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When it Rains, it Pours

March, 5 2015


A low rumble of thunder may be your only warning. If you’re quick, you might catch the deep gray voluminous clouds glide across the sky like a curtain being drawn across a window. Perhaps you notice the strong wind that suddenly whips through the forest canopy, pulling at leaves and branches as it passes. In…

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Orangutan of the Month: Kino’s Journey

March, 5 2015


When I first arrived at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine more than six months ago, Kino was one of the first orangutans I met. Like me, he was a newcomer to the orangutan orphanage. His body was riddled with bullet casings and noticeably devoid of hair, evidence of the trauma he had undoubtedly already…

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Orangutan of the Month: Mimi the Marvel!

February, 2 2015


Mimi first arrived to the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine many years ago as a young baby. Her bright and friendly manner immediately captured the attention of both the Care Center staff and volunteers. Initial field notes on Mimi’s condition reported her “silly” nature and cute, little, pot belly. But the shock of Mimi’s rapidly…

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