The initial phase after the landslides

Over the past 365 days, various phases of reconstruction have taken place at our Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation center in Sibolangit, North Sumatra. In the immediate aftermath of the landslides the safety of the orangutans was the top priority. It was important that the animals were able to return to their normal daily routine as soon as possible, and that they were housed in a way that allowed them to feel safe and secure. The team also had to quickly bring the chaos in the muddy terrain under control, gaining an overview of the damage to infrastructure and the full extent of the destruction.

Clean-up, and Site Assessment

For the heavy clean-up work, the project team hired eight workers from the surrounding villages and several professional construction workers to ensure that the clean-up and stabilization of the site progressed quickly. This phase lasted until April 2025, as it was difficult to advance into the remote parts of the site with heavy machinery and to search for and sort undamaged items and materials for reuse. A geomorphological analysis of the site in Sibolangit revealed that many areas were no longer considered safe from future landslides in the long term. For this reason, the team did not rebuild various enclosures and buildings at their original locations. In addition, PanEco and its sister foundation YEL took the decision to look for an alternative site and to gradually relocate the centre to a new, safer location. A valley area at the Orangutan Haven, only 20 minutes away from the existing location, presented an exciting opportunity for this, and subsequent geomorphological and soil analysis has concluded that the proposed site is safe.

Left: An excavator stabilizes loose earth and builds two large catchment basins to control the water. Right: A newly constructed retaining wall secures the area around the new veterinary and infant holding buildings.

Pictures of the destroyed veterinary clinic (left) and the old storage room during its conversion into a new clinic.

Left: These cages could be restored and were translocated to a save area. Right: Two new blocks comprising eight new isolation cages have been completed and are ready for use.

Outlook and construction of the new Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre

Not all of the damaged or destroyed facilities have been repaired or replaced yet. The Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre still lacks a boundary wall between the area accessible to suppliers and the closed section, and a new fence around the clinic and the infant enclosure is also needed. Our operational Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Sibolangit is home to around 40 orangutans.

Planning and construction of the new Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Orangutan Haven

A decision has been made to gradually create a new Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in a secluded valley at the nearby Orangutan Haven and to gradually relocate to the new location. This decision was based on various considerations. The most important of these was the geomorphological survey of the site of the existing Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, which concluded that this location could not be fully secured to prevent similar disasters in the future. The Orangutan Haven has enough space (48 hectares) to rebuild the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre there. With the purchase of a small additional plot of land, access to the new location can be provided via an existing dirt road, which we only need to upgrade. The generous space available at the new Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre allows it to be divided into different zones such as the clinic and veterinary zone, quarantine zone and socialization and forest school zones.

Careful planning of the new facility at Orangutan Haven is taking time, as we want to get it right. The existing centre is, thankfully, fully operational again so we have the time to plan and prepare for the relocation to the Orangutan Haven without the need to rush. Hence we have been assessing the new site, its drainage, the stability of the soils etc., and producing initial concept designs for the new facilities needed and an overall site plan for the new location (see below). As such we anticipate that work to develop the new centre at the Orangutan Haven will commence in January 2026.