Category: Care Center

Orangutan of the month April 2020
LORI BELLE: Quiet and Reflective

A new baby orangutan at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) is sometimes the last link in a great chain. Lori Belle was reportedly found by some villagers in their “garden” and she was presented to the Taman Nasional (National Park office of the Indonesian Forestry), who passed her along to the KSDA (Nature… Continue reading Orangutan of the month April 2020
LORI BELLE: Quiet and Reflective

Orangutan of the Month for February 2020:
MARSHA, Magic in the Canopy

It is amazing to think that just over 50 years ago we knew so much less about these orange apes, orangutans, the only great apes native to Asia, than we do now. Over the last decades Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and others have contributed much to our knowledge of these enigmatic pongids. Through observation and… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for February 2020:
MARSHA, Magic in the Canopy

Orangutan of the Month for January 2020:
LEVY, Mr. Can-Do

Male orangutan infants are lightning bolts packed with energy and if there is one orangutan who can be guaranteed to be in the thick of it, that is Levy. Some infants immediately stand out. Levy is not initially as obvious or as eye catching as some of the other infants at Camp Danielle but over… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for January 2020:
LEVY, Mr. Can-Do

Orangutan of the Month for December 2019.
SUMMER: Stubborn but Sweet

Orangutan hair may be a flaming dusky red but it provides excellent camouflage when orangutans are in tangled shrubbery and in the forest canopy where the sun doesn’t shine.  Like ninjas orangutans blend in seamlessly into the forest especially as they often hold themselves absolutely still.  Wild born ex-captive “Summer” is perfecting her stealthy ways.… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for December 2019.
SUMMER: Stubborn but Sweet

In Our Hands: A Wild Orangutan Male Rescued with Severe Injuries

Cruelty that humans sometimes exhibit to wildlife including our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, the great apes, is always devastating to see. Here in Borneo we occasionally confront situations where we encounter badly beaten orangutans. As human-orangutan conflict increases because of forest conversion for human use such as agriculture, these instances of cruelty… Continue reading In Our Hands: A Wild Orangutan Male Rescued with Severe Injuries

Forest School in 360°

OFI recently partnered with The Dodo to help them kick off their venture into 360° videos. Showcasing a day in the life at the Care Center, Forest School in 360° offers an immersive viewing experience never before captured at OFI’s Care Center in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). To view: On your smartphone: pan and rotate… Continue reading Forest School in 360°

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

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

What Does it Take to Feed 330 Orangutans?

It is early in the morning at OFI’s OCCQ. The staff is huddled around the kitchen fire, sipping coffee and discussing the plan for the day’s “soft releases” when orangutans are released into the forest for the day before being brought back to their sleeping cages in the late afternoon. The jarring sound of an… Continue reading What Does it Take to Feed 330 Orangutans?

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

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 16251 [post_author] => 10393 [post_date] => 2016-05-02 15:09:04 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-05-02 22:09:04 [post_content] => 2016-01-29_Pondok Danielle_Somat_MHP_01_wmSince 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 infant orphans. These tiny babies are often malnourished and sick and suffering from the trauma of losing their mothers. The love and care of a mother can never be replaced but OFI caregivers provide as much support as they can as surrogate mothers to the orangutan orphans. 2016-02-08_Pondok Danielle_Ray_Banda_MHP_01_wmThese infants require the most extensive and specialized care that OFI can provide. With the generous support of donors, OFI was recently able to open a brand new infant care facility just for these tiny orangutans. At the new facility – named Pondok Danielle – the infants are able to adjust to their new surroundings in a secluded area of the OCCQ. Pondok Danielle is tucked away in a corner of the OFI nursery forest away from the hustle and bustle. Here the infant orangutans can have tranquility and quiet with only the sounds of the forest around them. Each orangutan is cared for in a tailor-made way, which includes the food each receives and the different kind of medical care each needs. With a dedicated team of caregivers working day and night shifts, the infant orangutans receive care around the clock. 2016-04-11_Pondok Danielle_Ibu Leti_Lucky_Trudeau_MHP_01_wmFor those infants who are too young to sleep alone at night, a staff member will sleep with them to provide the reassurance they need. The caregivers genuinely love their work and become very attached to the orphans. They will refer to the orangutan infants they help raise as their own children and are proud when they are finally released back into the wild. The love and care provided by the caregivers is reflected in the infants’ trust that they develop in their caregivers. Watching these orphaned orangutans look up to their caregivers with love reflected on their faces provides special moments and memories. 2016-04-11_Pondok Danielle_Carmen_MHP_01_wmEach day there is boundless energy at Pondok Danielle’s new playground as the infants get the chance to practice climbing, to explore and forage in the nearby forest, and play with each other. Playtime is a vital part of the orphans’ rehabilitation process as they learn how to climb and test their weight on branches. The older infants are bundles of energy as they roll and swing around the playground. For the youngsters this is the perfect time for them to observe and learn from some of the older infants. The smallest orangutans occasionally join in the fun, but they stay very close to their caregivers, just as they would stick close to their mothers in the wild. The infants venture away, bit by bit, as they grow older and more confident in themselves. The caregivers will often sit next to a small tree and encourage the youngest infants to practice climbing in the lower branches. 2016-04-07_Pondok Danielle_Iribe_Ibu Leti_MHP_02_wmAfter lunch the infants are tired out and return to their sleeping enclosures for a well-earned nap. As part of their care the infants receive daily baths. Some orangutans have a fascination and love for water and often seek it out each day in the forest during their playtime. Other orangutans keep a safe distance and dislike it when peers splash water on them. This love or aversion to water is easily discernable. While some infant orphans love their baths, others are not so impressed to have water poured all over them. Luckily orangutan hair dries quickly and in no time at all they are warm and dry again. The trauma of losing their mothers is huge. Many of the infants do not initially trust humans. The world must seem a very big place for these tiny orangutans. It must be quite bewildering to be taken from everything they have ever known in the wild. With the dedicated love and support of the OFI caregivers, these infant orangutans learn to trust their surrogate human mother and begin to learn from her. 2016-02-16_Pondok Danielle_MHP_01_wmIt is still many years before these infants will be strong and knowledgeable enough about the forest to be released permanently back into the wild. Yet with their dedicated caregivers by their side, these orangutans are taking the first – sometimes shaky – steps towards rehabilitation.

The campaign to fund the construction of a new Infant Orangutan Facility was launched in 2013 and spearheaded by Danielle St-Georges’ fiancé, Jeremy Nash, in order to honor her memory. Danielle St-Georges died of a very aggressive cancer shortly after she visited Borneo with one of OFI’s Eco Tour groups. We are proud to honor her memory.

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