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 6 June 2010 : Media Release
Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Australia and its Indonesian counterpart have secured a 112,000 hectare site in Kalimantan, Indonesia for the release of rehabilitated orangutans.
These great apes will only be released once the area is deemed sustainable, so BOS Australia has issued a challenge to raise $65,000 in 65 days to fund the initial planning stage of the ground-breaking project.
Orangutans require around 100 hectares of land in the wild, and just $58 per 100 hectares will cover the cost of preparing the land needed for the freedom of each orangutan.
Then 75 to 100 orangutans are expected to be released from two neighbouring sanctuaries within the next 12 to 18 months.
BOS Australia has been working for years to secure safe release sites for some of the 4,000 orangutans currently being cared for in Kalimantan, and BOS Australia President, Malcolm Carson, said this is the biggest ever operation of its kind.
“This is the first time truly rehabilitated orangutans have been released from the Nyaru Menteng sanctuary, and while they are currently being well cared for, our ultimate goal has always been to ensure their safe release into the wild where they belong,” he said.
“Previous attempts to release orangutans have been plagued with difficulties, but now we have successfully secured a release site in Central Kalimantan for at least the next 95 years, and we are determined to undertake planning and development to ensure the site is properly prepared
and safe for its new occupants.
“Orangutans should be able to roam free in the wild, and it is hoped they will breed within the freedom and security of these release sites, reversing predictions by some that these magnificent creatures could be extinct in the wild within ten years.”
Unfortunately such preparation doesn’t come cheap, but Mr Carson says that monetary contributions are not the only way to get involved.
“Supporters could hold a raffle, or sell cakes at their workplace, but simply passing the message on to others and raising awareness of the orangutan’s plight is equally important,” he said.
For more info or to download this release, click here or to make a donation, click here or call (02) 9011 5455.
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More photos available upon request.
Interviews available with BOS Australia President Malcolm Carson, Project Team Coordinator Louise Grossfeldt or Committee Member Tony Gilding.
Media Contact: Luella Copeland-Smith: Phone: (02) 6688 4210 or 0414 916 414 : Email: luella@raesource.com.au
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