January, 11 2019
Orangutan of the Month: Jono When migrants return to their motherland, are they more at home coming back to their land of origin or are they now more displaced? Humans all over the world grapple with this dissonance but in our search for belonging, we forget that we are not the only unsettled species. Today,…
Read MoreDecember, 15 2018
Four in the morning and dawn is barely breaking over the Bornean rainforest. All is quiet as the forest and the animals within begin to stir. The rising sun brings with it the caregivers from the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ). It is an exceedingly early start for them. The working day normally begins…
Read MoreNovember, 30 2018
Hockey’s Special Needs by Allison Leach “Special” is indeed the word that first comes to mind when thinking of the orangutan Hockey. She came to the OFI Care Center as an orphan, like many other orangutans. But unfortunately, her sensitive nature, in both spirit and body, left her vulnerable to a crippling stroke suffered before…
Read MoreNovember, 30 2018
Caca by Emi Kusayanagi It’s another hot and sunny morning at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. At Camp Danielle, the youngest orangutans under the care of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) staff are out in the Infant Playground and Learning Forest. At the playground, the little orangutans are everywhere,…
Read MoreOctober, 18 2018
Chewey – is more than just an intergalactic icon Hermits, it seems, have gone out of vogue. These days socializing is what people are talking about. “It’s good for the brain” they say, “good for the heart.” Similarly to cloistered monks, Kalimantan’s orangutan males remain staunchly solitary. Time has been the best teacher. After thousands…
Read MoreMay, 31 2018
At the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo, OFI (Orangutan Foundation International) staff provide milk for the older orangutans in OFI’s care. Caregiver Ibu Tuti always looks forward to her encounters with orangutan Robina or “cantik (beautiful) Robina” as she calls her. Indeed a beauty, Robina’s light ginger locks are long…
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