Orangutan Foundation

Dublin Zoo has been supporting the Orangutan Foundation since 2015, helping to fund orangutan rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve in Borneo. This 158,000 acre reserve was established in 1998 from two former logging concessions, and is now home to a viable, self-sustaining population of over 600 Bornean orangutans.

All images and videos courtesy of the Orangutan Foundation.

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Protecting Borneo’s Orangutans

The Orangutan Foundation has a team of 65 local staff in Lamandau, who monitor the forest and its wildlife, protecting them from illegal activity. To protect the reserve, the Orangutan Foundation has established a series of manned guard posts around the reserve.

In addition to population monitoring and public outreach, the Orangutan Foundation also operates five camps throughout the reserve where orphaned orangutans learn the skills necessary for a life in the wild.

Zookeepers Visit the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve

Status in the wild

The Bornean orangutan is considered Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List, with approximately 100,000 left in the wild.

The orangutan population is decreasing due to habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal hunting, and fires, which occur in Borneo on a yearly basis and are responsible for significant forest loss.

What they say about Dublin Zoo’s support

“The most important thing we can do for all wildlife is to provide a protected and safe habitat. We could never do this without the help and support of many organizations, and especially Dublin Zoo. We really appreciate all the support you have given us.”

– Ashley Leiman, Director of the Orangutan Foundation