Public Figures Adopt Orangutans: Not as Pets, But Through a Virtual Initiative

A number of Indonesian public figures, including Gading Marten, Dimas Anggara, Amanda Zahra, and Tamara Dai, have participated in a virtual orangutan adoption programme to support conservation efforts. Their involvement was made known through adoption certificates shared on the Instagram Stories of the non-profit organisation, the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation.

This adoption movement is gaining momentum amidst cases of forest and land fires that threaten the natural habitats of the endemic orangutans of Kalimantan. This online adoption movement is also being widely promoted by netizens on social media as a form of support for orangutan protection and rescue efforts.

What is virtual orangutan adoption?

According to the BOS Foundation website, the virtual adoption programme allows the public to adopt orangutans online. Through this programme, adopters receive the latest updates regarding the progress of the rehabilitation process of the orangutans they have adopted, while simultaneously supporting the animals’ journey towards true freedom.

Crucially, this programme does not mean that the orangutans are taken home to be kept as pets. The support from adopters is used to assist the care and rehabilitation process of orangutans at the BOS Foundation rehabilitation centres.

How are the funds used?

By adopting one of the orangutans in the rehabilitation centre, adopters contribute to the continuous care process provided by the BOS Foundation team. Orphaned orangutans need to learn various basic skills before they can be released and survive in the wild.

In this process, foster mothers play a vital role. They assist in teaching basic skills to the orphaned orangutans to prepare them for life in their natural habitat.