EIGHT MORE WILD ONES

We are thrilled to announce that the BOS Foundation team has returned another eight orangutans to their forest home in the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park.

In collaboration with the park office and the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency, the BOS Foundation released the orangutans in a two-stage operation from 12 to 14 December 2023.

One of the new wild ones is our dear Cinta, a long-time favourite of our adoption program. She underwent 11 years of rehabilitation at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre since her arrival at just four months of age. The BOS team selected Cinta for this release due to her impressive progress in the rehabilitation program and proven survival skills.

Investigating the new home
When a team member opened her transport cage, Cinta quickly exited into her new home. From the first moment, Cinta started investigating her surroundings as she familiarised herself with the Bemban River watershed. After exploring, Cinta finally stopped at a ficus sp. tree to consume its fruits in copious amounts. As the evening approached, she decided to build a sleeping nest in the tree.

Liti also immediately started exploring her new home after cautiously stepping out of the transport cage and climbing a tree about 11 meters high. Ojes, a male orangutan released shortly afterwards, quickly moved toward Liti, attempting to interact with her.

No time for admirers
It turned out it was not just Ojes who was interested in Liti; Wanto also tried to follow Liti’s movements. However, Liti didn’t seem to pay attention to their approach. After reaching a tree with an old nest, she decided to refurbish the nest and rest from the long journey. 

Besides Cinta, Liti, Ojes, and Wanto, the new wild ones include Fajar, Fathia, Lala, and Tomang, who all found comfort in their new environment. 

The nearly 20-hour-long journey naturally caused some stress for these eight orangutans confined in cages. Therefore, our veterinary team regularly checked their conditions throughout the trip. Despite encountering a few minor challenges, such as boat propellers getting stuck on wood or light rain occurring several times, the overall journey went smoothly. 

We are optimistic the eight will thrive in their new wild home and contribute to the survival of this critically endangered species.

You can help us return ten more rehabilitated orangutans to the safety of the forest by supporting our Christmas Appeal by 25 December!