Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, conducted a working visit to the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Pasir Panjang Village, West Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan, on Saturday (December 27, 2025), to directly review rehabilitation facilities and assess readiness for the release of endangered orangutans into the wild.
The OCCQ, managed by Orangutan Foundation International, serves as a key rehabilitation center for rescued, confiscated, and orphaned orangutans that have lost their mothers in natural habitats. The center works in close coordination with the BKSDA and the management authority of Tanjung Puting National Park.
During the visit, Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized the long-standing contribution of OFI, which was founded in 1986 by renowned primatologist Birute Mary Galdikas. He highlighted the organization’s dedication to orangutan rescue, rehabilitation, release, and habitat protection over several decades.
“Dr. Birute met me in my office last year. What she and her colleagues have built here is extraordinary. Her spirit of more than 50 years in protecting orangutans and their habitats must be preserved and continued,” the Minister stated.
On the same occasion, the Minister officially named five baby orangutans born in 2025 at the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve: Sanjay, Asma, Mateo, Annisa, and Hakim. The naming process forms part of lineage identification and long-term monitoring to support conservation management.
Currently, the OCCQ cares for more than 300 Bornean orangutans and functions as a comprehensive center for quarantine, medical treatment, and physical, behavioral, and psychological rehabilitation prior to release. The facility is equipped with quarantine enclosures, veterinary laboratories, medical treatment units, and forest adaptation training areas.
The visit marked an initial step toward strengthening orangutan conservation management, including upgrading rehabilitation facilities, securing safe release sites, and enhancing coordination among government institutions, conservation partners, academic institutions, and local communities to ensure the long-term survival of Indonesia’s endangered orangutan population. (*)
