A new orangutan orphanage has opened in Borneo! It is called the Four Paws Orangutan Forest School, run by the organization Four Paws international along with renowned primatologist Dr. Signe Preuschoft.
The 247-acre forest school is home to orangutan orphans as young as just a few months old. They are being looked after by a team of caretakers and veterinarians, with the main goal of preparing the orphans for release back into the rainforest so they can thrive on their own.
“The goal of the project is to train these orangutans so that in a few years, when they reach the appropriate age, they will be able to return to a natural forest and live there completely free and independent,” explains Dr. Preuschoft. These orangutans were orphaned when their mothers were killed as a result of human conflict due to palm oil, tropical timber, and the coal industries.
The young orangutans start out each day by traveling from their dorms to the Forest School in a “school bus”. Once there, they learn from their human surrogate mothers the skills that their birth mothers would normally teach them. The most crucial life skills include climbing, foraging, and building a sleeping nest. Successfully rehabilitated and re-introduced orangutans will contribute to the survival of their species in the wild. Today, Bornean orangutans are classified as critically endangered.
Only about 50,000 Bornean orangutans are left in the wild; this is a population decline of 80% since 1950. At the same time, approximately three quarters of Borneo’s rainforest have been converted for human purposes, mainly into industrial agriculture or coal mining areas. This is the main reason for orangutan-human conflict, with the danger of being killed as crop raiders and pests. Defenseless baby orphans are taken from their dying mothers and illegally kept or sold as pets.
Most confiscated orangutans are orphans younger than 5 years old. Since they are still infants, they are too young to be released and cannot live independently; they still need surrogate mothers and nurturing before they can fend for themselves in the wild. Depending on their age and medical condition, the orphans start their education in the Forest School at different levels: kindergarten, forest school, or orangutan academy. Eventually, every orangutan will pass through the successive training steps according to their individual abilities.
Sadly, orangutans aren’t the only ones struggling to make it in the shrinking rainforest. Many other species such as elephants, rhinoceros, leopards, sun bears, and birds are being driven to extinction because of palm oil, tropical timber, and the coal industries.
I wold like to volunteer and visit this new orphanage. I am an animal rescuer and travel photographer as well.
So I could offer both skills. And I absolutely ADORE Orangutans!
Will this be possible?
Thank you so much!
Jenny
This is a very uplifting story, thank you.
Wonderful and thank you for helping these animals.
Thank you so much for this wonderful news!
This is so great! Bless the people who run this place. These little babies deserve to be taken care of.
SOO SWEEEET!
Wonderful ! Thank You !
Wonderful. Do you accept volunteers?
Hi Tracy, I’m not sure but you can try contacting Four Paws directly at [email protected], and ask specifically about volunteering at the orphanage.
Thank you so much!
I would very much like to work as volunteer with the orangutans. How can I apply for this??
I have experience doing animal rescue in Africa, Costa Rica and the US.
Thank you!
Hi Jenny, I’m not sure but you can try contacting Four Paws directly at [email protected], and ask specifically about volunteering at the orphanage.
It’s nice to finally read something where the end results are a benefit for our animal friends.
Thank you so much.
We share 97% of our DNA with orangutans, they are practically our cousins. Their rainforest habitat is being destroyed at an alarming rate, I’m glad that Four Paws is rescuing these babies.
God bless thd people at 4 Paws. May you be able to continue you good work.
That’s just like the forest school that’s well known in Borneo already run by a Swedish female with 500+ orangutan babies being taught to be reintroduced. It was an animal planet tv show called Wild Orangutans ten years ago. Glad there’s a new one. Boycott palm oil and may will be left alone if you ask me. It’s in canned soup, crackers, cookies, just because it’s cheap to use. Ban/Boycott Palm Oil!! It’s crap anyway and it’s shockingly being traded for orangutan LIVES!! The coolest animal in that jungle, by far.
Hi Sally, You’re right, palm oil is mostly in junk food and causes mass deforestation. By the way, I also remember that tv show that you’re talking about. I believe that rescue center is still there and thriving.
Good news !!! I’m happy they will be safe
It’s great that these people want to take care of these babies. It is disgusting that the “man” takes care of the extermination of all animals. There are far too many people on this planet and everything revolves around money, at the expense of the animals!
Now this is a place I would love to work, it would be a pleasure to wake up every day!!!
You people who take care of the baby orangs are Godly.
“Bless the beasts and children} ……. And their caretakers