Each orangutan rescued or handed over to our care carries a story of struggle and recovery - and thankfully the chance for a new beginning.
Orangutan infants with carers
In the great rainforests of Kalimantan, the trees whisper tales, not only of wind and rain but of young lives interrupted and gently guided back home.
Throughout 2025, several orangutans crossed paths with humans outside of the forest, each carrying a different fate. What follows are their stories, told like forest fables about loss, hope and second chances.
Gunawan: The Little One Who Learned to Trust the Trees Again
Gunawan
Gunawan was still small when the forest went silent. With his mother gone, the trees that once felt like arms became strangers. Found alone in Seruyan Regency, Gunawan was gently carried by human hands instead of clinging to fur.
At Camp JL in Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Gunawan met new teachers: branches, vines, and curious companions his own age. Each day, he climbed a little higher and explored a little further. Sometimes, a second chance grows slowly, leaf by leaf.
Amel: The Long Road Back to Being Wild
Amel
Amel once lived behind walls instead of trees. For years, she drank milk and ate porridge, dreaming perhaps unknowingly of fruits she had never learned to find. Amel had been kept as a pet since 2014.
When Amel arrived at Camp JL, the forest did not rush her. It waited patiently. In January 2026, after six months Amel climbed her first tree! Previously scared to leave her enclosure, this was a huge step in her long journey towards the wild.
Amel’s story reminds us that healing takes time and that even after years spent apart, the forest still welcomes its ‘children’ home.
Ehoy: The Wanderer Who Finally Returned
Ehoy being rescued from deforested land near village
Ehoy was not lost - he was searching. Driven by hunger, he wandered too close to human homes where coconut trees replaced the wild forest canopy.
Strong, calm, and fully grown, Ehoy was not afraid of being rescued. When the door of his transport cage opened in the safety of Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, he climbed up a tree as if he had never left.
Ehoy’s tale is short but powerful: sometimes, all a wild soul needs is a clear path back home.
Released into Lamandau WIldlife Reserve
Epeng: A Curious Heart Finding Its Place
Epeng with Dr. Dimas at time of rescue
Epeng was found alone by humans working in the forest. Too young to survive by himself, he was taken in before the forest could claim him.
Epeng was handed over to the Foundation and brought to Camp JL, where he soon discovered play. He ate eagerly and learnt the rules of branches and balance. Each day Epeng’s confidence has grown, proof that even fragile beginnings can become strong with care.
Epeng’s story teaches us that rescue is not an end - it is the start of learning how to be wild again.
Epeng
Roni: The Brave One Found at the Edge
Roni
Roni was discovered at the edge of danger; he was near a deep excavation meant for water, not for life. Tiny and weighing just 3 kilograms, Roni carried courage far bigger than his body!
After receiving careful care from the Foundation’s staff, Roni began to shine. He played, climbed and explored with bold curiosity.
Roni’s story demonstrates that when we act in time, even the smallest life can grow into something magnificent.
Roni with Dr. Dimas
Kiki: Hope with Curious Eyes
Kiki arrived weak and thirsty, carrying scars that spoke of hardship. Yet behind his injuries lived an unbreakable curiosity.
Kiki using his ‘every-which-way’ (hypermobille) hips in his enclosure
As days passed, receiving care and treatment, Kiki’s spirit emerged. At Camp JL, he became more active, more daring and more alive.
Kiki teaches us that curiosity is hope in motion and that healing is strongest when paired with patience.
Kiki learning to climb
Kacong: Back to Where the Forest Breathes Deepest
Kacong
Kacong was a seasoned forest traveler; as an adult he was strong and experienced. This meant his rescue was not an easy one... trees became escape routes, and the forest tested human resolve.
Though carrying old injuries, Kacong moved with confidence. He was successfuly returned to the safety of the forest and when released near the Teringin River, he did not hesitate. Kacong walked into the forest like someone returning to a long-awaited conversation.
Kacong’s story tells us that freedom, once returned, is never forgotten.
Kacong being released
A Journey for the Second Chance
These orangutans are not statistics. They are stories of forests interrupted and restored, of hands that choose protection over possession.
Every rescue is a promise: that we can choose coexistence, that the forest still matters and that orangutans deserve a future written in leaves - not cages.
Let us protect the forests. Let us protect their stories. Because when orangutans thrive, the forest and humankind breathes easier.
