Beni, Meryl and friends have graduated!

We have great news to share with you! Big Boy Beni has graduated! He now lives on a pre-release island in the Salat Island Cluster in Central Kalimantan, Borneo. Beni moved together with our beloved Meryl, one of the orangutans in our adoption program!

After completing Forest School, Beni and Meryl are ready to tackle their final steps towards a free life in the Bornean rainforest, where they belong. What a success for the two Orangutan Jungle School stars!

Welcome to your new home, Beni!

We celebrate even more graduates: Obama, Susanne, Sura, Winey, Kejora and Liti advanced to the pre-release island as well! A huge thank you to all of you who have supported Beni, Meryl and their friends to achieve this milestone!

Transporting the eight orangutans to Badak Besar Island involved two separate trips. On November 10, we moved Beni, Sura, Meryl and Winey; two days later, Obama, Kejora, Susanne, and Liti. The river journey by speedboat took about four hours.

Our teams on both trips reported that once they had opened the transport boxes, all orangutans exited immediately to play around the feeding platform. Shortly after, they bravely started to explore their new surroundings and showed little hesitation when ascending tall trees or dangling from high branches.

Island life!

Now, slowly but surely, the graduates can grow accustomed to looking for their own food. Still, our staff will distribute supplementary foods on designated platforms every day to ensure the island bunch gets the necessary nutrition. We will also monitor our graduates’ progress and make sure they stay healthy.

If you would like to support Beni and his friends, please give to our End-of-Year Appeal! No amount is too small. Your gift makes a difference and helps our graduates on their final steps to freedom.

Enjoy your new island home, Beni, Meryl and Co.!

Watch Beni’s release video here!