Category: Stories

Bear of the Month for Sept, 2018: Chico

Among the young and innocent animals that arrive at Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan Tengah) desperately in need of care are not only orangutans but also sun bears. Chico the bear is a comparatively new arrival at OFI’s Care Center. This young juvenile’s distinctive sun… Continue reading Bear of the Month for Sept, 2018: Chico

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Orangutan of the Month for August, 2018: Robina

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… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for August, 2018: Robina

Friend of OFI: Irene Spencer

“Into the Wild” Irene Spencer means business. “Everyone have a seat cushion?” trills her distinct east-coast American accent. Irene is directing guests to various vehicles under a lightening Bornean sky. In general she is concerned about her guests’ comfort. Today specifically, it is the comfort of their behinds. “It’s a bumpy ride,” she states, “but… Continue reading Friend of OFI: Irene Spencer

Enrichment, Fun for All the Animals

At the Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) Care Center in Indonesian Borneo where approximately 300 wild born ex-captive orangutans reside, it is a familiar sight to see Ibu Mariyanti and her enrichment team, going to and from facility to facility. With bright blue bags brimming with various items slung over their shoulders, the team members bring… Continue reading Enrichment, Fun for All the Animals

Orangutan of the Month for July, 2018: Kuba

Everybody remembers their first house. Dreams are cast, plans are made and pennies are gathered until the jubilant day the homeowner wakes up in their new bed. Given that orangutans share so much in common with humans, they may look on their first nest with a similar sense of pride. One infant orangutan in OFI’s… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for July, 2018: Kuba

Ant & Termite Nest Hunting for Enrichment

The Bornean rainforest contains an array of wildlife. In population size and richness of species, nothing compares to ants and termites, the “recyclers” of the rainforest. Staff at OFI’s Care Center in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) use these insects to provide natural enrichment and vital nutrition for those animals who, for a variety of reasons,… Continue reading Ant & Termite Nest Hunting for Enrichment

Orangutan of the Month for June, 2018: Allisson

All orangutans have their own needs and learning styles. At the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo, the OFI staff respect the unique personalities of each orangutan. Allisson is a focused and methodical orangutan, and one who does not like to be rushed. Allisson arrived at the Care Center when she… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for June, 2018: Allisson

Bear of the Month for May, 2018: Bubu

“Bubu’s Beginnings” With the vanishing rainforest, the grim reality facing us today is that more and more wildlife is displaced and coming into conflict with humans, usually resulting in the animal’s harm or death. Such circumstances led to one young bear’s arrival at the Orangutan Care Center in Pasir Panjang in Central Indonesian Borneo. Merely… Continue reading Bear of the Month for May, 2018: Bubu

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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 23888 [post_author] => 10393 [post_date] => 2018-02-28 13:32:27 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-02-28 20:32:27 [post_content] => It is early morning in Central Kalimantan and the air still holds a whisper of the previous night’s coolness. Soon enough, the heat of the day will arrive and settle like a thick blanket. In the early morning hours, there is an audible rustling among the seedlings at the OFI Herbarium, where the reforestation nursery is located. Moving along the rows of seedlings, a Dayak woman quietly checks on their growth. It is with tender care that Ibu Cici, the OFI Herbarium Coordinator, inspects the seedlings each morning before making her way inside to her office. A young woman, Ibu Cici has confidence in her career path. Even as a child, she was interested in the rainforest and nature. After being accepted to university, she studied forestry, and an interest in agroforestry developed. Upon graduation, she found jobs in this field to be very limited. She held onto her dream of one day working in the rainforest, and in the meantime, took on a job in the finance department of a car sales company. Over the next seven years, she kept her eyes peeled for positions within a forestry organization. During that time, she visited Tanjung Puting National Park a few times as a tourist to experience the forest and see orangutans in the wild. One day, her brother, Pak Obi, an OFI employee, alerted her to the job opening for Herbarium Coordinator. Ibu Cici jumped at the chance, applied immediately, and in May of 2017, her dreams came true when Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas offered her the position of OFI Herbarium Coordinator. Employee Spotlight employee of the month Ibu Cici Orangutan Foundation International herbarium Reforestation ProjectAs Herbarium Coordinator, Ibu Cici oversees the activities at the herbarium and nursey as part of the Reforestation Project. She coordinates a team of seven staff members who search the forest for seeds and seedlings, propagate and care for the seedlings, and carry out planting sessions at the reforestation sites. Planting trees in the peat swamp under the hot sun, with mosquitos and stinging ants, can be grueling work. But even a fear of snakes doesn’t stop Ibu Cici from supporting her team during planting days. She also maintains the office and herbarium which houses a collection of plant specimens of different tree species. Part of maintaining this growing collection of plant samples involves trips to the National Park, where Ibu Cici collects samples of native growing fruit, bark, and leaves of trees that are part of the orangutan diet. While her knowledge of orangutans was limited before joining OFI, she has naturally learned much from her coworkers.  As much as she adores orangutans, she is happy to be based at the Herbarium, as her main passion is protecting their habitat. “It is amazing that I can now contribute to saving the forest and orangutans as my job.” When asked about her favorite part of the job, Ibu Cici’s face breaks into a big smile, and she replies that it is traveling to the reforestation sites to plant seedlings. “I have seen so much deforestation already. Even though it might be just a drop in the ocean, to actually plant trees just feels very good.” As a Dayak indigenous person, Ibu Cici feels deeply connected to the rainforest, a place which until recent generations, was still the home of many Dayak communities. She believes that community outreach and education are integral to protecting the rainforest. “Only when the people here are willing to preserve the forest too, can we make a change.” In the future, she hopes to run school workshops to teach children about the forest and the importance of protecting what remains. For Ibu Cici, her role as OFI Herbarium Coordinator is not just a job. It is a way for her to make a lasting contribution to protecting the last rainforests of Borneo, the forests which the Dayak people once relied on, and which orangutans need in order to survive. For Ibu Cici, this is the best job in the world, and she wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else.

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