JoJo’s story lies at the heart of our orangutan conservation effort in Indonesia.
With support from International Animal Rescue, Dr Karmele Llano Sánchez, an experienced wildlife veterinarian and CEO of our Indonesian partner, YIARI, was leading our primate protection work in Indonesia when, in 2009, she was called to treat a young captive orangutan. The encounter proved to be a life-changing moment for her.
The young male orangutan (JoJo) was chained to a wooden pallet over a filthy open sewer. Years of captivity and malnutrition had left him stunted, with weak, malformed limbs, and a deep, infected wound from his shackle. Karmele treated the injury, but leaving him there broke her heart.
“The day I first met JoJo was one of the hardest days of my life,” she recalls. “All I could do was clean his wounds and move the chain to his other leg, because at that time there was no orangutan rescue facility in West Kalimantan.”
Determined to help, Karmele and our President, Alan Knight hatched a plan. JoJo’s rescue became the spark that led to the creation of the orangutan rehabilitation project in Borneo, led by our partners, YIARI. Hundreds of orangutans have since been rescued and returned to the rainforest, but sadly JoJo’s journey was different.
Years of captivity left him unable to survive in the wild. For safety reasons, because of his size and strength, he had to be housed alone, and for many years a large purpose-built enclosure was his only home.
The dream, however, was always to give him a taste of freedom. Designing a two-hectare semi-wild forest enclosure for a powerful, previously captive orangutan took years of planning, as the safety of JoJo, our staff and the local community had to be our top priority.
But finally, we have been able to realise the promise we made to JoJo all those years ago. At first, he was too timid to explore the open forest, overwhelmed by a freedom he had never known. With patience and encouragement, he has grown in confidence and is delighting in exploring his new home.
“We are very happy to celebrate, for the first time, after all these many years, JoJo is able to feel freedom, to feel the forest, to feel what it is to be a free orangutan,” Karmele
JoJo’s enclosure isn’t just for him. When he returns to his quarters, other orangutans in YIARI’s care, those that can never return to the wild, will have the chance to climb, play, and enjoy the forest, too.
The project was made possible through support from the Ministry of Environment via the West Kalimantan BKSDA, alongside hundreds of donors, adopters and partners including the Moondance Foundation and Orangutan Outreach.
Seeing JoJo surrounded by trees fills us with pride. His journey from chains to forest is a testament to his resilience and to so many of you, who have supported us and made this possible.
But there are still so many orangutans waiting for help.
Help us keep JoJo’s legacy alive –Adopt JoJo or adopt another orangutan on their journey back to the forest. You can make a real difference to the survival of this critically endangered species.