News From The Field: Creatures of the Night
Dusk approaches along the banks of the Sekonyer River in Tanjung Puting National Park, the gateway to Camp Leakey. Orangutans have already made their nests and hunkered down for the night. In the national park, especially during the high season in July and August, holidaymakers slumber on the kelotoks (houseboats used for tourism) parked on… Continue reading News From The Field: Creatures of the Night
Surveying the Land: by foot, by boat, and by air
A large part of OFI’s work to save orangutans from extinction involves protecting the forests of Borneo. Orangutans must have a place to live. Protecting the land is a big task, and it takes many forms. OFI works with the forestry department and police to coordinate patrolling efforts in Tanjung Puting National Park against poachers,… Continue reading Surveying the Land: by foot, by boat, and by air
OFI Renews Patrol Efforts in Tanjung Puting
Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan is comprised of over one million acres of mangroves, black water rivers, tropical heath forest, and peat swamp forest that form precious habitat to the largest population of wild orangutans in the world and an immense diversity of other flora and fauna. But this international treasure is surrounded… Continue reading OFI Renews Patrol Efforts in Tanjung Puting
Finding Resilience in the Face of Crisis
We had been driving for hours through palm oil plantations, desperately seeking out patches of protected rainforest we had been told existed but somehow could not find. At top speeds we flew blindly through the dust of cars in front of us, weaving across the broad dirt roads to avoid potholes or overtake giant tank-like… Continue reading Finding Resilience in the Face of Crisis
OFI’s New Herbarium Nursery
Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) is preparing to launch one of our most ambitious projects yet. We have taken on the enormous task of reforesting the areas of the Orangutan Legacy Forest that were lost in the devastating fires of 2015. One of the key components of the project, is the sourcing and nurturing of seedlings… Continue reading OFI’s New Herbarium Nursery
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
Save the Orangutan, Save the Ecosystem
Great apes, including orangutans, are of great scientific interest due to their high cognitive abilities and the many similarities they share behaviorally and physically with humans. Their ability to make and use tools and pass on these skills to other individuals has become a fascinating area of research, within both captive and wild populations. However,… Continue reading Save the Orangutan, Save the Ecosystem
Breaking News: 2015 Fire Season
Each year, as the rains cease and the long, hot, dry days pile up on top of each other like a pile of kindling, OFI faces one of the most difficult challenges to protecting orangutans and their forest habitat: the fires. This year is no exception. The fires are here and they are bad. In… Continue reading Breaking News: 2015 Fire Season
OFI’s Translocations in Borneo
Wild orangutan populations in both Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) are in crisis and are considered highly endangered. Throughout the entire island of Borneo orangutan habitats are diminishing or vanishing. Ironically, the main localities where massive habitat destruction is not yet pervasive are the tropical rain forests of the rugged, mountainous interior of Borneo. These… Continue reading OFI’s Translocations in Borneo
Saving Rosemary and ESRI: Returning to the Light!
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,… Continue reading Saving Rosemary and ESRI: Returning to the Light!
