Travel to the OFI Center in Borneo, Asia with Bob & Wilma

The Orangutan Foundation International Care and Quarantine Center is just what it says, a center for the care of orphaned, rescued and/or confiscated orangutans. Here they are 'schooled' and prepared to be returned to the wild.

It was founded in 1998 by the world famous orangutan researcher, Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and who is still instrumental in it's work.

It is illegal in most parts of the world for individuals to own orangutans so when they are confiscated or orphaned and found they are put in quarantine for a month before being placed with the other orangutans so as not to expose the other orangutans to parasites' or disease.

The center has an excellent lab for detecting and identifying known and unknown parasites that afflict orangutans.

The Center also has a surgery suit that is above the standards of the nearby hospital.

Since orangutans have a longer maturity time of any primate other than humans, they require care on the level of our own babies -- bathing, feeding, diapering etc.

As they grow, they require "play time" in the jungle or on jungle gyms with the caregivers (surrogates) leading them and watching over them.

Orangutans are an endangered species so their care and research is on going at both the release sites and Camp Leakey.

Photos and story courtesy of Bob & Wilma.

Learn more about Bob & Wilma... Click Here