Orangutan Protection in West Kalimantan

What the project does.

The film’s UK charity partner International Animal Rescue provides vital funding and support to Indonesian-based charity YIARI to tackle the problem of the drastic decline in Bornean orangutan numbers. Deforestation for agriculture and mining, forest fires and hunting have caused orangutan numbers to fall by up to 80% since 1973.

By supporting Indonesian-based NGO YIARI, UK-based International Animal Rescue safeguards and protects 300,000 hectares of rainforest in Indonesia. These are invaluable biodiverse ecosystems, as well as being vital orangutan habitat, managed and/or monitored by YIARI to limit illegal human encroachment and further deforestation. IAR and YIARI work holistically to tackle habitat loss, support an increase in orangutan numbers and improve the health and prosperity of local communities.

Many orphaned Ozis have been rescued in West Borneo by YIARI since this project began in 2009 as animals have systematically lost their natural homes. Once rescued, orangutans are then brought into the purpose built rescue centre in Ketapang, West Borneo where they undergo a programme of rehabilitation to ensure that, once old enough, these orangutans are ready to be released back into the wild – where they belong. The main area for orangutan release is the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park which straddles West and Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) – one of the most biodiverse places on the planet!

All three species of orangutans (Bornean, Sumatran, Tapanuli) are Critically Endangered. Species are categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a species is considered critically endangered if it has an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. This is based on current numbers of individuals; how quickly the species can reproduce and repopulate; the number of individuals needed for a viable, stable population; and the threats the species face.