Orangutans

No Roads supports the work of the Australian Orangutan Project (AOP). The AOP is charged with protecting the environment of Orangutans and subsequently all creatures within. The work it is doing with other Conservation groups as well as its education programs, are really making a difference.

You can help by joining one of our expeditions to Borneo (see below) or by clicking on some of the links further down to learn about sponsorship.

Orangutans of Borneo XPD

and

Save the Orangutans XPD

But you can help directly by either Sponsoring an Orangutan or protecting rainforest through Safeguard.

Orangutan Sponsorship
For the small sum of $55 you can make a real difference and help these infants survive.

All adoption money goes directly to helping infants at the various care centres we support in Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

We are in regular contact with staff at the care centres and our representatives visit the centre several times a year to get updates on the infants and see how they are progressing.

If you would like to Sponsor an Orangutan click here.

Rain Forest Protection through Safeguard
Reforestation Takes Decades - Destruction Takes Seconds
Did you know that we are losing 6% of the world's forests every year to palm oil? The expansion of palm oil plantations, many of them illegal, is the single most significant threat to the survival of the orangutans.

Everyone Can Help To Stop This Destruction
Yes, everyone. First of all, check your shopping. Don't buy items that contain palm oil - and you'd be surprised how many do.

Secondly, support AOP's Safeguard program. It gives practical support to the Orangutan Protection Units, the frontline patrols that are actually managing to deter illegal logging and land clearing in Borneo and Sumatra. They also provide much needed employment for the young men in the area whose only other option is to work in the palm oil plantations or not work at all.

Where Your Money Goes
The Safeguard program raises money specifically for Orangutan Protection Units. Your donation goes towards the patrols - running costs - equipment, uniforms and wages Every contribution is welcome and appreciated!

Just 75c per year is all it takes to protect one hectare of land!
  -$7.50 per year protects 10 hectares of land
  -$30 per year protects 40 hectares of land
  -$75 per year protects 100 hectares of land
  -$150 per year protects 200 hectares of land

If you would like to help protect jungle acreage through Safeguard please click here.

When asked "How did you hear about us?" one of the options is No Roads Big Fish, please just click that option.

Please read the following and if you would like to read more, click here.

What is the issue that AOP is trying to deal with?
The orangutans rainforest is disappearing at an overwhelming rate with the remaining forest being degraded by drought and forest fires.

Extinction in the wild is likely to be 2010 for Sumatran Orangutans and 2015 for Bornean Orangutans. We need to recognise the massive amount of suffering being inflicted on a species that is 97% genetically identical to humans.

Orangutans are highly intelligent animals. Their intelligence is comparable to that of a five or six year old child.Surely these self-aware animals deserve the right to live and to be free from torture and exploitation?

Protecting the orangutan also protects the surrounding ecosystem and myriad of endangered and exotic species. Saving the orangutan saves the forest.
None of us want to have to tell our children or grandchildren that we were around for the last decade of the Orangutans but we weren't quite able to get our act together to save them.

The Australian Orangutan Project supports many orangutan conservation organizations. AOP is a non profit organisation staffed by volunteers to raise funds and collect donations for Orangutan Conservation and habitat protection. Other than part-time administrative support, there are no salaries paid to AOP volunteers whose services are donated. Therefore a very high percentage of your donations go straight to organisations involved in the active welfare of Orangutans and on habitat protection.

Mission Statement
To ensure the survival of both Sumatran and Bornean orangutan species in their natural habitat and promote the welfare of all orangutans.

Action Plan
1. To raise funds and other support to assist in situ orangutan projects in their conservation and welfare work.
2. To raise awareness of the need to preserve orangutan populations in their natural habitat and the intrinsic value of individual orangutans.

Projects Supported by AOP

Nyaru Menteng
The Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center was founded in 1999 by Lone Drischer Nielsen and is today the home of more than 600 orphaned orangutans and 150 employees. The center is based 28 km from Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan and consists of a main building, a veterinarian room, quarantine cages and other facilities. Surrounding the building are 40 bigger quarantine cages and two big cages used for the socialisation process. The forest around the centre serves as the perfect place when the young orangutans are taught how to survive in the wild. Five small islands in the river nearby are used as the first home for the orangutans as they begin their new lives without their caretakers. Nyaru Menteng actively conducts searches and surveys to find new release sites. AOP has previously provided funding for release site surveys and transport crate costs. In 2007-2008, AOP provided funds to Nyaru Menteng that contributed to the huge running costs of the programme.

Wildlife Protection Units (SOCP) : The Wildlife Protection Units are responsible for patrolling the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and the buffer zone surrounding its borders. The Bukit Tigapuluh Sumatran orangutan re-introduction project in the province of Jambi is the only reintroduction site for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan Pongo abelii. Close to 100 orangutans have been released. The WPU have been highly successful in deterring all illegal activities within the National Park including logging. They are responsible for educating local people about laws against poaching orangutans, gathering information about illegal activities and reporting these to the Forestry police and collecting wildlife data as an evaluation tool for ecosystem conditions at BTP. AOP funded the complete running costs for all of the eight protection units in 2007-2008. Valuable equipment was also purchased including eight GPS units, eight digital cameras, eight cooking stoves and a road car with safety features.

KOCP : KOCP was set up in 1998 by HUTAN in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. The goal of the project is to achieve long-term viability of orangutan populations in Sabah. The project's objective is to restore harmonious relationships between people and the orangutan, which in turn will support local socio-economic development compatible with habitat and wildlife conservation. AOP provided financial support for one OUR (Orangutan Research Unit) field research assistant for a one year period in 2007-2008. Funds also assisted with purchasing some field equipment necessary to conduct research in the field (e.g. boots, trousers, shirts, compass) and to contribute to the running costs of the OUR team.

OCCQ Pangkalan Bun : The Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ) facility provides high quality veterinary care to orphaned orangutans. Opened in 1998, it is situated in the village of Pasir Panjang near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan. The centre employs four Indonesian vets, two veterinary nurses and over 100 local people. In 2007/2008, the AOP contributed a large portion of funds to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for the hundreds of orangutans housed at the centre in Central Kalimantan. After a couple of months of receiving more abundant and varied food, the majority of orangutans put on weight, their energy levels increased and their coat condition also improved. This funding was also used to supply a substantial meal of rice, vegetables and fish or chicken for the employees at the centre to assist with health and motivation. A further $25,000 AUD was sent in December 2008 to purchase a vehicle to pick up food supplies for the centre. AOP will continue to provide funding for food supplies in 2008/2009.

Buluh Lamandau : $24,952 AUD was sent to fund the running costs of the Buluh Lamandau Camp for 2007-2008. Camp Buluh is located within the Lamandau Reserve, a protected area within Central Kalimantan, for the release of ex-captive orangutans from the OCCQ. Only ex-captive male orangutans are release at Camp Buluh. This is a trial to observe whether this stops wild males coming into the area due to the presence of female orangutans and then competing for limited resources. The running costs can be broken down into: staff salaries, equipment, supplies, maintenance, fuel, transportation and food for orangutans and staff.

Lamandau Guard Post : $15,744 AUD was sent to construct a guard post in the Lamandau Reserve as part of a project to promote the conservation and sustainable management of the lowland forests of South Central Kalimantan. The protection of the Lamandau Reserve has two components: the building of permanent guard posts and secondly, mobile patrolling. Guard posts are not only strategic, they are symbolic and simply by being there they act as a deterrent. Local people will not attempt to start clearing land if they know there is a high chance of being evicted and thus no-one attempts to farm land inside the guard post area.

Batu Mbelin Quarantine Centre : This centre is run by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and was opened in 2002. It is located near Medan, North Sumatra and it is the only quarantine centre in Sumatra for confiscated Sumatran orangutans. This centre allows many more confiscations of illegally held Sumatran orangutans to occur and since opening, 126 orangutans have been received at the centre. The aim for all orangutans, if suitable, that come to the centre is for them to be transferred to Jambi and released at Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. Over 100 orangutans have been transferred to Jambi for release from the Batu Mbelin Quarantine Centre. In 2007-2008, AOP funded all running costs for the centre. Some of these costs included: staff salaries, confiscation costs, transportation costs, orangutan food, orangutan medical costs, food for staff and maintenance.

GrASP : Australia GRASP is an innovative and ambitious project of UNEP and UNESCO with an immediate challenge - to lift the threat of imminent extinction faced by the great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. GRASP is a dynamic alliance of many of the world's leading great ape research and conservation organisations. AOP gave money to GRASP in 2007-2008 to contribute to its Palm Oil Action Group which runs awareness campaigns on palm oil in Australia. Palm oil is the greatest threat to both species of orangutan.

COP : COP was founded by Indonesian local Hardi Baktiantoro in early 2007 in response to the massive exploitation and slaughtering of orangutans due to the palm oil industry in Central Kalimantan. Hardi is Indonesia's most experienced campaigner on behalf of orangutan conservation. COP is the only fully Indonesian group of its kind, dedicated to the conservation of orangutans. COP is a non-religious, non-political and non-profit charity organisation, working proactively to champion the cause of protection of the orangutan and their habitat. The COP team has also rescued numerous orangutans from the ever expanding palm oil fields. COP has gained in confidence and experience over the last 12 months and has a rising profile in Indonesia. Hardi and COP are now well positioned to take their campaigns forward with the energy and enthusiasm that has been lacking in Indonesia for so long. AOP sent $19,550 AUD to COP in December 2007 to fund local NGO meetings, operating costs for six months and the purchase of a motor cycle to use in rough terrain.

COP Katingan Forest Project AOP : sent $13,600 AUD to COP in May 2008 to support the project - Assisting local indigenous people to secure their forest in Katingan, Central Kalimantan. This project focuses on stopping 42,000 ha of forest in Katingan that is home to at least 1,500 Bornean orangutans being logged and converted into a palm oil plantation. This plan involves community organising and training, lobbying and campaigning and the development of a conservation camp that will be used as a base for local people to prevent any forest destruction and will also be used as a camp for COP volunteers.

Other Kitchen revamp at OCCQ: $2,500 AUD was sent to the OCCQ in Pangkalan Bun in December 2007 to improve the hygiene at the centre when preparing orangutan food and milk. The kitchen revamp included separating humans from orangutan areas, a tiled surface, tiled bench spaces, bath tub for cleaning fruit and a preparation area for the milk.