Medical care and release of an orangutan in Borneo

Born to be wild! Born to be wild!

Release of Borneo orangutans

Orangutan means forest man in Indonesian. According to legend, these were particularly clever people who retreated into the forest to avoid having to work. These "thinkers of the jungle" are the only great apes in Asia, sharing 96.5% of their genetic makeup with humans. In 2016, the Bornean orangutan was upgraded to acutely "endangered" on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). According to a study (Ancrenaz et al. 2016), between 1950 and 2025, approximately 82% of Bornean orangutans will have disappeared.

need

Health checks, genetic testing, medicine, anaesthetics and food for the release of orangutans in Borneo.

activity

Veterinarians and keepers from the BOS Foundation care for the orangutans before and during their release into the wild.

Measurable performance

Number of orangutans that can be successfully released into the rainforest.

Result

In the protected rainforest, the released orangutans can live in freedom, start new families and preserve their species.

Systemically relevant impact

Conservation of orangutans in protected areas in Borneo.

background

Borneo orangutans have no natural enemies - apart from humans. Day after day, large areas of rainforest are disappearing in favor of oil palm plantations. Palm oil is found in many supermarket products: in food, cosmetics, cleaning products. In their desperate search for food, the orangutans roam plantations or approach villages. Often with fatal consequences.

Another reason for the extinction of orangutans is the illegal animal trade. Many orangutans are sold on the black market and kept as private pets.

Injured and orphaned orangutans end up at the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) rescue station, where they are rehabilitated in forest kindergartens and forest schools. Currently, around 700 animals live at BOS. The goal is to release them into safe rainforest areas.

The good deed

The association has set itself the goal of releasing as many orangutans as possible into protected forest areas of Borneo. This is the only way to ensure the survival of the species. The releases are carried out under strict veterinary supervision. BOS tries to keep the stress of transport for the animals as low as possible so that they can start their new life in good health. In one of the Nyaru Menteng rescue stations, 300 orangutans are currently waiting to be released into the wild. The good deed consists of them receiving the health checks, genetic tests, medicine, anesthetics and food they need for release into the wild. So that their new life as a wild orangutan can finally begin.

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