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Arts & Culture

Orangutan Diary

A mother orangutan cuddles her baby.
Courtesy of © Sam Gracey
A mother orangutan cuddles her baby.

Airs Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV

Deep in the Borneo rainforest, a dedicated team of veterinarians and caregivers has a massive and emotional task ahead of them: rescuing and nursing the jungle’s most appealing – and most vulnerable – animals back to health. Currently there are approximately 600 orangutans being cared for day and night at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation Centre.

Most have had traumatic lives, clinging to survival as rainforests are burned around them, while others are snatched from the wild to be sold as pets. Every day is a challenge for the team as they care for the orphans and deal with the human crises of life in a rainforest hospital.

"Orangutan Diary" features stories of hope as this dedicated team attempts to save these fragile animals. During the course of the program, the team introduces the newest and smallest orangutan, baby Arnold, and races through miles and miles of muddy roads hoping to save a young orangutan held illegally in a tiny crate.

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Sumanto takes a terrifying fall at the centre and fights for his life, while massive male Hercules, the hairiest orangutan you will ever meet, heads off for his annual leave on a river island.

Lone Dröscher Nielsen (the centre’s director up until 2010), is always looking for places where rescued orangutans can be released back into the wild and finally finds a refuge in the heart of Borneo.

After months of planning, a handful of rescued orangutans is able to fly away to freedom, including Mama Abut and her baby, found starving on an oil palm plantation but nursed back to health at the centre.

And the confiscation team sets off on the most demanding rescue yet, with one of the technicians risking his life in a death-defying climb to get Bonny back where she belongs.

An emotional rollercoaster ride into the heart of the rainforest, "Orangutan Diary" presents an inside look at the lives of these animals on the edge. This program originally aired in 2007.

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About BOSF & Orangutan Outreach:

BOSF (the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation) is a non-profit organization with the vision to establish the realization of Bornean orangutan conservation in its habitat with the community’s participation.

Started in 1991, currently BOSF is the largest orangutan rescue and rehabilitation organization in the world, taking care of more than 850 orangutans (as of December 2011) with the support of 420 highly dedicated staff with a deep affection towards wild animals and their habitat, as well as experts in biodiversity, ecology, forest rehabilitation, agroforestry, community empowerment, education, and orangutan health care.

The BOSF coordinates its activities with the Ministry of Forestry, and the foundation is supported by the network of BOSF’s partner organizations around the world. Every year, the BOSF financial report is audited openly by a reputable auditor.

About Orangutan Outreach:

Orangutan Outreach’s mission is to protect orangutans in their native habitat while providing care for orphaned and displaced orangutans until they can be returned to their natural environment. We seek to raise and promote public awareness of orangutan conservation issues by collaborating with partner organizations around the world. You can visit the Orangutan Outreach website to learn more about these animals and the fight to save them, and make a donation.

About the BOS Nyaru Menteng Reintroduction Center:

The BOS Nyaru Menteng Reintroduction Center was founded in 1999 by Lone Dröscher Nielsen and Odom Kisar. Today it is home to more than 600 orphaned and displaced orangutans and has hundreds of employees.

The center is based 28 km North of Palangka Raya in the Province of Central Kalimantan in the Indonesian part of Borneo, and since its humble beginnings has now become the world’s largest orangutan conservation facility with numerous cages, island, clinics, vehicles, training forests and hundreds of staff.

Lone Droscher Nielsen - Orangutan Hero is on Facebook, Orangutan Outreach is on Facebook, and you can follow @redapes on Twitter. Check out the Orangutan Outreach YouTube Channel to see all their videos.

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