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Feature Story
What Does it Take to Feed 330 Orangutans?
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News from the Field
Meet the Faces of the OCCQ
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Orangutan of the Month
Penelope Cruz
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"Penelope arrived at the OCCQ a number of years ago, a tragic victim of deforestation. She was found as an infant when forest was being opened up for a palm oil plantation. Presumably her mother was killed in that process and she was orphaned as a result. When she arrived at the OCCQ, Penelope Cruz, like many of the orphans, was traumatized by the loss of her mother. She was slow to gain weight and very reserved. Today, Penelope is now a young adolescent orangutan who loves to spend time in the learning forest..."
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This
once-in-a-lifetime adventure
to Indonesian Borneo will give you an opportunity to travel with a
small group
to intimately experience orangutans in their natural environment.
Trips starting:
- October 31, 2016
- November 9,2016
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Orangutans need you
Thank you for being a reader of OFI's
Eyes on the Forest newsletter
Enjoy these stories? Know someone else who would, too? Please share this newsletter with your friends and family!
You can find out more about OFI & our work at our website,
And don't forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & more!
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 "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 arriving pick-up truck catches the attention of the OFI enrichment and food preparation team. Without hesitation, the staff quickly heads out the door to greet the expected delivery.
 The truck carefully turns around and it is only when it comes to a complete stop that the hefty cargo it bears is visible. In the bed of the pick-up sits the largest pile of coconuts that you have ever laid eyes on. So many coconuts, in fact, that the sudden stop has thrust some of the coconuts off the side of the truck bed, where they are now rolling down the pavement in all directions.
It's an arrival that has not gone unnoticed by the Care Center's orangutans. Smacking lips and slapping hands, their sounds and  displays of excitement, can be heard throughout the Care Center's central facilities as the orangutans eagerly anticipate their firstmorning feed. This is just one of several food deliveries that will be made this week. At least several trucks will arrive, teetering down the stone driveway, the trucks completely overflowing with fruit. It is quite a sight but you quickly learn that enormous food deliveries are rather commonplace at the OCCQ. After all, how else are you going to feed 330 orangutans?
. . . In order to mimic the day-long browsing behavior of wild orangutans, the Care Center orphans are fed frequent meals several times over the day. The daily special is whatever is available. Depending on the time of the year, that might mean coconuts and papayas, or it might mean bananas and squash. By and large, there is no mistaking the orangutans' absolute favorite seasonal fruits:  durian, cempadak (a type of jack fruit), mangoes, and rambutan! In the dry season when these treats are ripe for the picking, the orangutans simply cannot get enough of these yummy sweet tropical fruits. Like humans, orangutans will often avoid eating the skin of many types of fruit, instead preferring to pick out the soft and sweet insides. And just like us, they are certainly not beyond playing with their food. In fact, the OFI Enrichment Team counts on this! Food-based enrichment is one of the orangutans' favorite games. . ." |
"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 and women dedicate their lives to supporting and nurturing these orphans, to prepare them for a second chance to live in the wild.
This month OFI wants to celebrate some of the men and women who spend each day caring for the orphaned orangutans. Without these dedicated staff members, the plight of the Bornean Orangutan would be much worse.
So here is to the OFI staff and caregivers who provide the love and support that the orphaned orangutans need each and every day!"
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Ibu Litik
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Ibu Litik is the Coordinator of
a facility where some of the juvenile orangutans have their sleeping enclosures. Ibu Litik has worked for OFI for
19 years, beginning in Camp Leakey, and truly loves the orangutans in her care. She enjoys being in the forest with the juvenile orangutans and her dedication has fostered strong bonds between her and the orangutans.
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Ibu Didit |
Ibu Didit also works at
the same facility and is Ibu Litik
's older sister.Ibu Didit assists with all aspects
of juvenile orangutan
care including going into the forest each day
with the orangutans. Ibu Didit has a special relationship with the orangutans and is often
able to coax a stubborn orangutan down from the tree tops at the end of the day
when it is time for the orangutan orphans to return to the safety of their sleeping enclosures.
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Pak Ferry
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Pak Ferry works with young juvenile orangutans. Pak Ferry might be
robust
in stature but he is a big softie at heart. Often the juvenile orangutans are a little wary of Pak Ferry because of his s
ize
, but his kind hearted nature soon wins them over. The juvenile orangutans love playing rough with Pak Ferry because they know
that
they can't knock him over as easily
as some of the other staff members.
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InfiniteEARTH,
the parent company of
The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve
has pledged to match up to $100,000 in donations to OFI over the next six months when you donate via the link on their website.
Since the campaign launched in May we have raised
$13,459! We're getting closer to our goal, but we still need your help.
Click the link below to donate today and help us reach $100,000!
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