Orangutan Foundation International Australia

Home
Australia
Gold Coast, QLD
Orangutan Foundation International Australia

Supporting the conservation, protection, and understanding of orangutans and their rainforest habitat

Orangutan Foundation International Australia’s (OFIA) mission is to support and continue the orangutan and forest conservation efforts initiated by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas & OFI in Kalimantan, Borneo. Dr Galdikas, who is Patron and a Board Member of OFIA, is an internationally renowned environmentalist, anthropologist and the world’s foremost orangutan expert. Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) supports the conservation, protection, and understanding of orangutans and their rain forest habitat while caring for ex-captive orangutan orphans as they make their way back to the forest. OFIA has two core campaigns; caring for orphaned, displaced and injured orangutans at the OFI Care Centre & Quarantine in Pasir Panjang Village, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo; and, securing habitat for their future release. For more information about Orangutan Foundation International Australia please visit our website – www.orangutanfoundation.org.au.

03/11/2026

Orangutans are devoted, gentle mothers but fiercely protective, trusting no one else with their young.

Dr. Biruté Galdikas noted that when infant Sam hurt his eye, protective mom Siswa took the ointment from OFI staff to gently apply it herself. What beautiful intelligence and love! 🥰

02/11/2026

Young orangutans learn by watching and practising.

Nest building is a complex construction skill, refined over years of practise. Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas documented how young orangutans learn this architectural art by watching their mothers, discovering that building a safe nightly nest is essential for survival in the canopy.

02/11/2026

Orangutans stay with their mothers for up to 9 years to learn how to survive.

Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas revealed that this 8 to 9 year bond is the longest dependency of any wild mammal. During this time, mothers teach their young essential forest survival skills, from nesting to finding seasonal fruits.

01/11/2026

Happy Orangutan Awareness Week!

Orangutan Awareness Week is celebrated in the first week of November each year to commemorate the establishment of Camp Leakey in November 1971 by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas. It is a world-wide celebration to honour the conservation work of Dr. Biruté and encourage action to save orangutans!

This week we will be sharing information about orangutans and the work of Dr. Biruté.

Please share our posts to show your support and helps us save and protect this remarkable critically endangered species. Thank you.

Did you know? ... orangutans are the world's largest tree dwelling mammals.

Instead of always jumping, wild orangutans utilize tree swaying to bridge gaps in the rainforest canopy safely. Dr. Biruté Galdikas documented how these heavy primates use their weight to bend flexible trees, conserving vital energy during long forest travels.

30/10/2026

Over the past few days, we’ve been encouraged to see sporadic bursts of rain across parts of the forest. While this has brought some relief, the danger is not over. Not all areas have been fortunate enough to receive rain, and peatlands continue to smolder beneath the surface. Smoke and haze still blanket the landscape, and our staff continue to work on the front lines, patrolling vulnerable areas and extinguishing remaining fires before they can spread.

While the fires near our operational areas are beginning to subside, the needs of orangutans are not. For orangutans, survival is only the first step. Burned habitat must recover. Displaced wildlife must be monitored and protected. And the forests they depend on will take years to heal.

The flames may be easing, but the fight for their future is just beginning.

We need your support more than ever. Your donation helps protect vulnerable orangutans, restore critical habitat, support fire patrols, and ensure our teams can continue safeguarding the forests these incredible animals call home.

Don’t forget them when the smoke clears. Your support and donations today help ensure their future for tomorrow.

https://orangutanfoundation.org.au/donate/

27/10/2026

Finally, some welcome rain has fallen in Tanjung Puting National Park, bringing relief to areas affected by fire. But the work on the ground continues.

OFI’s latest update reports that the brief rainfall significantly dampened the fires without fully extinguishing them. Near Camp Tanjung Harapan, teams are still working to put out smouldering embers.

An earlier update confirmed that crews had established a protected perimeter around the camp and its orangutan feeding area, working to hold back fire that had passed behind the camp. Orangutans were reported to be in the forest along the river.

Rawa Kuno, part of The Orangutan Legacy Forest, has not yet received rain, and firefighting efforts there remain ongoing.

OFI’s team continues working alongside National Park staff, Indonesian armed forces and police, Manggala Agni, regional disaster responders, and local volunteers to extinguish fires and protect the remaining forest.

From all of us at OFI Australia, thank you to everyone continuing this difficult and exhausting work. We remain hopeful for more rain and deeply grateful for your dedication to these forests and the wildlife that calls them home.

Please share this update to help keep attention on the ongoing firefighting effort.

26/10/2026

The Orangutan Foundation International Australia 2027 calendar is on sale now!

Featuring incredibly beautiful, high quality orangutan images, this limited-edition calendar is the perfect gift for the animal lover in your life.

Your purchase will contribute vital funds to help us care for the orphaned, injured and displaced orangutans in our Care Centre, providing them with food, shelter and the love they need until they are ready to be released back into the wild. With the devastating wild fires raging through Kalimantan, Borneo at the moment, these funds are desperately needed more than ever.

Be quick! Limited coped are available!

Buy your copy now at https://orangutanfoundation.org.au/orangutan/ofi-store/

22/10/2026

Through smoke and heat, into the night, and along the exhausting journey home. This is a glimpse of what it takes to fight the fires threatening these forests.

We want to recognize the dedicated OFI staff and all the other incredible volunteers working to protect Rawa Kuno, part of the Orangutan Legacy Forest, as well as Tanjung Puting and the wildlife that calls these forests home.

THANK YOU - Rinton, Ibun, Ayan, Hobi, Agus, Sigi, Yosua, Darlin, Aris, Haril, Jumadi, Adehan, Eming, Yoto, and Team Leader Anton, to name but a few.

Behind every name is someone carrying heavy equipment, confronting the flames, and putting hours of demanding work into protecting these irreplaceable habitats.

We see your effort, we value your courage, and we are deeply grateful for your dedication. Thank you for all you continue to give for the forest and the lives within it.

Help us show our appreciation by leaving a message for this amazing team below.

19/10/2026

Just 150 metres!! That’s how close the fire is to Camp Tanjung Harapan, an OFI feeding station and ranger’s camp! And the fires have now reached the Sekonyer River’s edge.

As flames threaten the forest, OFI’s teams continue fighting to protect the habitat that wild and rehabilitated orangutans call home. It is dangerous, exhausting work, and they need continued support.

We desperately need your help. Fuel, hoses, firefighting equipment, food and clean water are essential to keeping these teams going.

Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas devoted her life to protecting orangutans and these forests. Please help the people carrying her work forward.

Please donate through OFI Australia’s website to support the emergency fire response. Thank you for standing with our fire fighting teams and the orangutans they are working so hard to protect.
https://orangutanfoundation.org.au/donate/. The link is in our bio.

15/10/2026

At just one month old, Sara was clinging to her mother as fires destroyed the forest around them.

When rescuers reached them, her mother, Sari, had burns and blisters on her hands and feet. Dehydrated and anemic, she needed treatment at OFI’s Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine.

Eman, a 1 and a half year old orphan, was found alone in a palm oil plantation beside a recently burned area. He was also brought to the Care Centre, where rehabilitation staff are caring for him.

They are among the orangutans being rescued right now by OFI and Indonesian conservation officers as raging fires continue to sweep through Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Borneo. Some orangutans have been found stranded in burned trees; others have fled into nearby plantations where they are still in danger. Most are well enough to be relocated to safer forest, while those injured or needing support are being brought into care by OFI.

At our Care Centre, four full-time Indonesian veterinarians lead a team of veterinary assistants and nurses, providing treatment for orangutans like Sari.

Your donations help make these rescues and ongoing care possible. Please support OFI’s work by considering a donation - https://orangutanfoundation.org.au/donate/
The link is in our bio.

Address

Gold Coast, QLD

Telephone

+61755275226

Website

http://www.orangutanfoundation.org.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Orangutan Foundation International Australia posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.