Dora's path to the wilderness
January 23, 2018
Project goal: Establish a new orangutan population in the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and protect lowland rainforest
Project area: The Bukit Tigapuluh ("30 hills") rainforest is made up of 145,000 hectares
Implementation: Reintroduction of orangutans to the wild, which were previously held in captivity illegally and then confiscated by authorities
Successes: Successful reintroduction of more than 170 orangutans so far.
Orangutan Dora is eight years old. She spent the first years of her life in captivity as an orphan. Then she was freed and brought to an "ape school" on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There, she learned how to climb, build a nest and find food. When she was mature enough to live independently in the rainforest, she was reintroduced into the wild.
We were there when it happened. Since then, three years have passed, and we're back in the jungle to see how she's doing …
A film by Inga Sieg