Meet 12 orangutan candidates up for release!

Posted by Beth Mills on 10th Nov 2023

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), we are excited to announce that 12 more orangutans have successfully completed their rehabilitation journey and will shortly be released back into the wild from the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary and the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Sanctuary.

The rehabilitation process for an orangutan is a long process that can take years depending on the individual needs of each orangutan. There is no set time frame, but most orangutans who arrive as infants will spend around 8-10 years going through the rehabilitation process before they return to their natural forest habitat to live freely in a protected forest.

This will be the 42nd orangutan release from the Nyaru Menteng and the 26th orangutan release from the Samboja Lestari!

Are you ready to meet the orangutan release candidates from Nyaru Menteng?

Taco

Taco was rescued from a resident in West Kalimantan and arrived at Nyaru Menteng in May 2009. At the time, he was only two years old and weighed 3.7 kilograms. Taco joined Forest School where he learned the vital skills needed to survive in the wild. He was then later transferred to one of the islands in January 2020 where he began the final stage of his rehabilitation journey. Taco loved to explore the island and quickly passed all the stages required to complete rehabilitation. After 14 years of rehabilitation, Taco is now 16 years old and is ready to embark on new adventures in the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest.

Carlos

Carlos is an orphaned male orangutan who was rescued from Parenggean Village in Central Kalimantan in February 2004. When he arrived at the sanctuary, he was just 12 months old and weighed only 2.8 kilograms. Carlos also attended Forest School, and then proceeded to the pre-release stage of rehabilitation on one of the islands in November 2018. Although Carlos is not the most dominant character, he is very clever and more than able to defend himself when feeling threatened. After undergoing 19 years of rehabilitation, Carlos is now 20 years old and is ready to explore the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest as a true, wild orangutan.

Melanie 

Melanie was rescued from a resident in Buntok City, Central Kalimantan back in August 2013. She arrived at Nyaru Menteng when she was 3 years old, weighing 12 kilograms. Melanie successfully passed all stages of Forest School and then entered the pre-release stage of rehabilitation on one of the islands in March 2019. She is a very curious orangutan who loves to explore. After undergoing rehabilitation for 10 years, Melanie is now 14 years old and is ready for her new adventure in the wild. 

Cici

Cici underwent most of her rehabilitation journey at Samboja for 10 years from when she was rescued at the age of 3. In November 2013 she was then transferred to Nyaru Menteng to begin the pre-release stage of her journey on one of the islands. Now 24 years old, Cici has grown up to be an independent, highly social orangutan and has passed all the stages of her rehabilitation journey. She is now ready to enjoy life in true freedom in the wild. 

Rajawali

Rajawali was rescued from residents in Palangkaraya City, Central Kalimantan in November 2011. At the time of his rescue, Rajawali was only 12 months old and weighed 4.9 kilograms. After completing all stages at Forest School at Nyaru Menteng, Rajawali proceeded to the pre-release stage of rehabilitation on one of the islands in 2019. Rajawali is a very active, highly alert orangutan who loves to explore. He has now successfully completed all stages of his rehabilitation journey after 12 years and is ready to live wild and free in the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest.

Ochie

Ochie is a female orangutan who was rescued from West Kalimantan in December 2008. She was two years old at the time of her rescue and weighed 5.7 kilograms. Ochie attended Forest School in December 2019, she was then transferred to one of the islands for the final stage of her rehabilitation journey. Ochie quickly mastered the crucial skills needed to survive and thrive in the forest. After undergoing rehabilitation for 15 years, she will soon be enjoying true freedom in the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest.

Juki (Released Previously)

Juki was rescued from a resident in West Kalimantan in March 2003 along with another orangutan named Susi. Juki was just 18 months old and weighed 7 kilograms at the time. Both Susi and Juki underwent quarantine together before entering Forest School. After successfully completing all stages of Forest School, Juki entered the final stage of rehabilitation on one of the islands. In December 2016, Juki was released to the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park Area. However, he consistently entered populated areas. In order to avoid further conflict with people, he was transferred back to one of the pre-release islands at Nyaru Menteng. Juki is now finally ready to be released again, this time much more remotely into Bukit Batikap Protection Forest. 

Batola (Released Previously)

Batola was rescued from South Kalimantan and arrived at Nyaru Menteng in December 2007. At the time, he was five years old and weighed 19 kilograms. Batola attended Forest School and worked hard through every stage. As Batola became more aggressive towards technicians and surrogate mothers, the sanctuary decided to transfer him from Forest School to Kaja Island. On the pre-release island, Batola preferred to be alone and settled in one location. Batola was released in 2020 in the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park. However similarly to Juki, Batola entered a village area several times. Therefore the decision was made for him to be returned to Nyaru Menteng to one of the pre-release islands for his own safety. Now 20 years old and ready to be back in the wild again, Batola will prove he can live as a wild, independent orangutan when he is released shortly.

Now, it's time to meet the orangutan release candidates from Samboja Lestari:

Eliona

Handed over by a resident in Yogyakarta in August 2001, Eliona had spent the early years of her life being kept illegally as a pet. She was 3 years old when she first arrived at Samboja. Eliona joined other orangutans her age in Forest School. She successfully completed all stages of Forest School in 2018 and was then transferred to one of the pre-release islands where she remained until 2021. Now 28 years old, Eliona is ready for her new life as a true wild orangutan and is ready to be released into the Kehje Sewen Forest.

Dias

Dias was handed over by a resident in Banjar Baru in August 2001, after being kept as a pet for more than three years. Dias completed all stages of Forest School successfully in 2018. She was then transferred to one of the pre-release islands where she further improved her survival skills. Dias quickly learned how to identify natural food sources during her time on the island and became skilled at constructing comfortable nests. Despite her plump physique, she often lost in competitions against other orangutans on the islands. Nonetheless, she is now 23 years old and is more than ready to be released on the north side of the Kehje Sewen Forest. 

Ozi

Ozi is a 30-year-old, adult male orangutan who arrived at Samboja in September 2019, after he was found limping near a river in East Kalimantan. Ozi was admitted to Samboja for intensive treatment. He was emaciated at the time of his rescue and had acute anemia, as well as multiple abscesses. Following his treatment, Ozi was placed in a socialisation enclosure while he waited for his chance to return to the wild. The time has finally come and he is ready to go back home to the Kehje Sewen Forest. 

Gami

Gami was rescued in November 2021. He was placed in a socialisation enclosure shortly after arriving at Samboja and completing quarantine. There he was given food and enrichment to refamiliarise him with how to extract natural food sources. Gami is a sociable orangutan and is able to build sturdy nests. He is now ready to return to the wild in the Kehje Sewen Forest.

A tremendous amount of work goes into making these incredible releases possible. Each individual orangutan would not have the opportunity to thrive again in the wild if it wasn’t for the dedication of the BOSF, in collaboration with the Central and East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agencies.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of these releases...

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sasha brauss doting commented 3 weeks ago

thats very cool to read about , so dope that you are actually fully rehabilitising urang utangs bless you

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