Sorry to hear Antak and Hercules

As our 'Back to the wild' campaign for orangutans waiting to be released by the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) continues, I wanted to share some news I received with all our supporters:

Sadly, Hercules and Antak, two of the six orangutans who were due to be released back in the forest of Borneo have been withdrawn from the release.

COP feel that Hercules isn't quite ready and they fear his foraging skills are not adequate for him to survive independently, so for the time being he will remain at the centre.

Hercules on the pre-release island

Antak was seen fighting with one of the other males on the pre-release island and then he disappeared. A search team found him injured and malnourished and he was moved into quarantine to recover. The quarantine area isn't just for animals prior to release but any time they need to undergo medical treatments as well. It is felt that he is not quite ready.

Antak on the pre-release island.

While this is sad for Hercules and Antak, it also shows a great level of commitment from COP who is waiting for the absolute best conditions to successfully release orangutans back to the wild.

The plan to release Novi, Unyil, Leci and Untung whom I will share the story next week is still going ahead!

COP still needs us to help covering the cost of the new large quarantine area and I need your help more than ever as this is an emergency! Please click here to donate what you can to support this fantastic project and be directly involved in giving freedom back to these rescued animals.

Thank you.