Sometimes surgery is unavoidable when an injured orangutan arrives at our Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre. Since 2003, we have been able to count on the Swiss orthopaedic surgeon Dr Andreas Messikommer for complex cases.
98% Identical Genes, 100% Identical Surgery Read More »
30,000 Nautical miles, 200 to 300 days at sea. Etienne Messikommer, the 38-year-old Swiss skipper, is taking part in the legendary solo round-the-world sailing race. A circumnavigation of the globe under extreme conditions, with a message on board that reaches far beyond the horizon: We can all do our bit to protect orangutans and their habitat!
Golden Globe Race & PanEco Read More »
In a recently published study, researchers in Sumatra warn that the number of wild orangutans on Sumatra has continued to decline, bringing the animals even closer to the brink of extinction. In particular, the high mortality rate relative to the population size of the Tapanuli orangutans—a species newly described in 2017—threatens the species’ survival.
New study reveals: alarming decline in orangutan population Read More »
The team from the PanEco Foundation’s Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) has confirmed the birth of a healthy male baby. The mother, named Bulan, was raised at our Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre and released into the Jantho Nature Reserve in Aceh, Indonesia, in 2018.
Orangutan Bulan spotted with her baby in Jantho Read More »
In the year following the landslides at our Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre in Sumatra, we had to relocate the activities of the Rainforest School for young orangutans elsewhere. Since early 2026, the young orangutans – such as Cemara, Brenda and Diego – have finally been enjoying training in the trees at the school again.
The Rainforest School has opened again! Read More »
She was kept as a pet, fed only rice and put on display on YouTube wearing human clothes: this is how little Janet was rescued from a private household in August 2022 and brought to our Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre. Now the young animal is our new godparent animal.
Janet, our new godparent animal Read More »
Photo post from Indonesia: World Orangutan Day takes place every year on the 19th of August and shines a spotlight on orangutans and their habitat. The team at our sister foundation Yayasan Ecosystem Lestari YEL sent us photos of the various environmental education activities they organised on Sumatra to mark that day. Immerse yourself in the colourful celebrations!
World Orangutan Day in Indonesia Read More »
When the Indonesian authorities (BBKSDA) confiscate an orangutan, the medically trained SOCP rescue team from our partner organisation YEL is on site to attend to the handover. The team makes sure that the orangutan is cared for properly during its transfer to our quarantine and rehabilitation centre. Read how a female orangutan recently came to us in this way.
How orangutans come to us Read More »
How long do orangutans live? Do they live monogamously? And what do their long calls mean? In this profile, we reveal some facts and peculiarities of this great ape, which is found exclusively on Sumatra and Borneo.
We have been running the reintroduction station for orangutans in the Jantho Sanctuary in the north of Aceh province since 2011. The orangutans spend their last few weeks at this station before we release them back into their natural habitat. What do the days look like for the team?
24 hours at the Jantho Reintroduction Station Read More »
