Ashley Leiman OBE, Founder & Director
An orphan, Adib
The Orangutan Foundation’s aim is to ensure the survival of the critically endangered orangutan and its globally important habitat, the tropical forests of Borneo and Sumatra, together with the fauna and flora they contain. The Foundation has been working in the province of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) since 1990 and delivers a unique and diverse approach to orangutan conservation.
Under the Orangutan Rescue and Translocation Programme, the Orangutan Foundation rescue isolated orangutans, and other wildlife species, from areas where they are at risk, such as, oil-palm plantations or community farmlands, to prevent them being killed or injured. Once the animals are safely contained, often needing anaesthetising, the Foundation’s Indonesian vet examines them. Animals suitable for immediate return to wild are released into the protected, 158,000-acre Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.
The Orangutan Foundation run five release camps within the reserve. The camps are continuously staffed to provide orangutans and other wildlife with supplementary food (fruit) and post-release monitoring and the Orangutan Foundation’s vet routinely visits to monitor and treat the animals with vitamins and de-worming medication.
Young orphaned orangutans, which have been rescued and are too young for immediate release, enter our soft-release programme. The young orangutans are taken out during the day to play and climb in the trees, make nests and learn to forage but are returned to their enclosure to rest and at night-time. There are currently ten infant orangutans in the soft- release programme.
What Orangutan Foundation does
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Habitat protection and restoration
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Orangutan rescue and translocation
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Scientific research
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Education and awareness activities
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Capacity building of local partners
How Olsen Animal Trust helps
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Contribute to the annual running costs of JL Camp, one of the release facilities
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Provide core funding to including the upgrade of quarantine structures
Project Images - hover over for details
Orphans Adib (left) and Mona (right)
Abid and Mona, two orphaned orangutans in the soft-release programme at Camp JL, Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. Camp JL is for the youngest orphaned orangutans in the foundations care.
Adib was kept as a pet
Adib, was one and a half years old when he was rescued in October 2017, from being kept as a pet. Now living at Camp JL, Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, under the care of Orangutan Foundation’s vet and camp staff. Adib is taken out to play in the forest every day to learn climbing and nest-making skills and to forage for food.
Camp JL staff
The blue uniforms are worn by assistants who have direct contact with the orangutans, this is to reduce disease transmission. Other assistants will monitor previously released orangutans and provide daily supplementary fruit.
Guard post in Lamandau Wildlife Reserve
Drone image showing one of the eight guard posts run by Orangutan Foundation to monitor and protect the 158,000-acre Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
Illegal logging
In collaboration with the Indonesian Forestry Department, The Orangutan Foundation monitor patrols of the reserve to prevent illegal activities such as logging.
Habitat Restoration Programme
The Orangutan Foundation have a Habitat Restoration Programme in degraded areas of the reserve. Saplings are nurtured in one of their nurseries and planted out. They are then monitored to check on health and condition.
For further information on the work of Orangutan Foundaiton please visit www.orangutan.org.uk