The Nyaru Menteng Sanctuary

In 1997, Lone Droscher-Nielsen identified a need for a rescue centre in the Palangka Raya area of Central Kalimantan.  Lone designed and planned a new centre with new methods of quarantine and care intended to be an improvement over currently operating centres in Kalimantan.  With support from Dr Smits, founder of BOS Indonesia and chair of the Gibbon Foundation, Lone was able to build the facility under an agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, and Nyaru Menteng officially opened its doors to the first dozen orangutans in 1999.  The facility was designed to hold up to 100 orphaned orangutans whilst they go through the process of rehabilitation. In addition to quarantine cages, medical clinic, and nursery, the project had a vast expanse of forest area in which orangutans could learn the skills needed to live in the wild. Since 1999, the project has grown immensely, and we now look after over 600 orangutans. Nyaru Menteng is the largest ape rescue operation in the world.

We rehabilitate

Arnold in Nursery

Babies newborn to 6 months of age go to the Nursery. Adjacent is a small forest with trees and climbing frames.  Looked after in small groups by babysitters, local women employed to provide the love and care for them, these orphans are given the confidence to explore and learn. At night, the babies sleep indoors in laundry baskets with pillows and blankets, or directly on the bodies of the babysitters who sleep with them at night.

From there, they go to Forest School One, a large forest (and larger orangutans up to 3 years of age). They are divided into small groups based on age and personality.  They spend all day in this forest, where the real learning begins. They learn from each other and from the babysitters how to find termites and honey and to get at them, to be afraid of snakes and avoid them, which plants can be eaten, and how to build a nest.

Forest School Two next, which is in 2 locations. Here the forests are more mature and have bigger trees which can better withstand the orangutans, and they are cared for by Technicians, local men employed to look after them. They become more independent and most chose to sleep out in the forest at night in nests, though they are permitted to return to night quarters if they so wish. Again, these orangutans are in the forest all day long.  They will stay in Forest School Two until they are about 6 years old.

Then it is time for Orangutan University. The orangutans are moved to lush river islands, acquired in order to refine their skills. This penultimate training ground provides and opportunity for the orangutans to go it alone, but with daily food provisioning and intervention if an orangutan becomes ill or injured. The islands are patrolled 24 hours a day by security as well as technicians. Orangutans will spend at least 2 dry seasons and one wet season on the island, under close observation, so it can be assessed if they are ready to be returned to the wild.

We Rescue

Our rescue teams work tirelessly in hazardous and difficult conditions, and have in the past 2 and a half years rescued over 300 wild orangutans from the palm oil plantations. We are the only organisation in Indonesia actively rescuing wild orangutans from palm oil plantations. We also continue to confiscate pet orangutans, and now 90% of the infants under 3 years of age in our project have been rescued from areas of palm oil development.

And We Release Back to the Wild

To date, no rehabilitant orangutans have been returned to the wild. This is because suitable release areas are hard to find. It is both unethical and illegal to introduce rehabilitant orangutans to areas with a viable resident population of wild orangutans, although this has been done by other organisations for decades. We have recently found and surveyed a remote area in the north of the region, which is suitable for the release of 1100 orangutans, both wild and rehabilitant (separated by natural boundaries). This has now been approved by every level of the government. At least 100 wild orangutans and at least 100 rehabilitant orangutans are ready to be released.

Orangutans that come to us too big to go into Forest School go into large socialization enclosures, and as islands become available are released there for training. One island in particular is for these special needs orangutans adult orangutans who have spent their entire lives (or nearly) in a cage, and so have had no training about how to look for food, build nests or climb.

Wild juvenile and adult orangutans are translocated to safe forest areas as quickly as possible after undergoing a complete health screening and receiving any necessary treatment. We have released 115 wild orangutans so far, south of the Mawas Reserve (a 1 million hectare forest managed by BOS Indonesia). However, this forest is now at capacity, and a number of wild orangutans are waiting for the release site in the North to become official before we can translocate them there.