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: Forest stories, starting deep in Borneo.

Forest stories, starting deep in Borneo. Orangutans, the rangers who raise them, and the Dayak communities who share their forest.

Dr Biruté Mary Galdikas in a wide-brimmed hat holds a young orangutan on her shoulder, with the words A Life's Work.

International Orangutan Day

To celebrate and bring attention to the plight of critically endangered orangutans, we are sharing a special story from Dr Biruté Mary Galdikas, one of the pioneering primatologist “Trimates”, who dedicated her life to studying orangutans.

Men sitting on a wooden walkway, listening to a storyteller.

Young men sitting on the floor of a wooden room, recording an interview on a phone.

Collection one · Orangutans

Tanjung Puting, Borneo

We travelled to Tanjung Puting National Park to hear from the people whose lives are tied to orangutans: villagers, rangers, guides, vets and scientists.

Read how this collection began

Cover image for Dr Biruté Mary Galdikas's story

Tanjung Puting

“It takes passion to dedicate your life to a species most people never think about, to fight seemingly impossible battles, and to keep hope alive when the odds are against you.”

Dr Biruté Mary GaldikasFounder and President, Orangutan Foundation International

Cover image for Arif's story

Tanjung Puting

“Together, we can share these stories with the world and inspire the next generation to protect the wildlife and the places we all love.”

ArifTour Guide and Founder of Orangutan Applause

Cover image for Pak Laju's story

Tanjung Puting

“When I was a child, we Dayak people hunted orangutans to eat. Our lives depended on nature and we didn't see orangutans as particularly important creatures.”

Pak LajuFormer Ranger

Cover image for Dr Ketut's story

Tanjung Puting

“Most injuries are indirectly caused by humans, like starvation due to habitat loss.”

Dr KetutVeterinarian, Orangutan Foundation International

Cover image for Ruth's story

Tanjung Puting

“We mustn’t allow ourselves to be duped or succumb to a cognitive dissonance whereby we just switch off from it. We have to care because ultimately it will all come back to us.”

RuthPhD Candidate & Researcher

Cover image for Efan's story

Tanjung Puting

“Donny became part of the family… eating human food, drinking tea, my grandma even dressed him in kids clothes so he wouldn’t get cold. We all slept in the same bed, huddled together…”

EfanRanger

Cover image for Udin's story

Tanjung Puting

“We try to encourage people to care about orangutans, but it’s very difficult when they’ve grown up in different environments and have a different awareness.”

UdinRanger, Orangutan Foundation International

Cover image for Hakim's story

Tanjung Puting

“You should absolutely never stand between an alpha male and his girlfriend.”

HakimTour Guide

Cover image for Ikra's story

Tanjung Puting

“We came back to find the orangutan holding the saw, drawing it back and forth over the wood, just like we had been doing.”

IkraPokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group of the Village)

Cover image for Jeffrey's story

Tanjung Puting

“We were all afraid of the mythical Kandar, a decrepit orangutan that has decayed into a soulless ghoul, like the walking dead.The elders warned us not to stray too far into the forest.”

JeffreyTour Guide

Cover image for Ranto & Uyuk's story

Tanjung Puting

“Orangutans are emotional creatures, you can see it in their eyes, but there is nothing we can do to soothe them. Only time can heal their pain.”

Ranto & UyukRangers, Orangutan Foundation International

Cover image for Niken & Siska's story

Tanjung Puting

“If we can attract tourists to see orangutans in their natural habitat, it can help raise awareness and get more people interested in protecting the forest.”

Niken & SiskaEducation Managers

Cover image for Adut's story

Tanjung Puting

“It’s remarkable how similar they are to human babies. In the middle of the night, they cry out of hunger and we have to get up and feed them milk until they fall back asleep.”

AdutForester

Cover image for Chief Murlan's story

Tanjung Puting

“I do this job because I am passionate about orangutans and their habitat. It would be difficult to do this kind of work without that feeling in your heart.”

Chief MurlanPark Manager Tanjung Puting National Park