Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme

The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) has been operating since 2001 in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where, in addition to educating and researching Sumatran orangutans, it cooperates with the authorities to confiscate held orangutans and ensures their rehabilitation and subsequent release back into the wild. This is an ongoing initiative thanks to the cooperation between the Indonesian NGO Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL), the Swiss NGO PanEco Foundation and the Indonesian Government Directorate of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Protection. SOCP works on all aspects of conservation of the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis).

Threats to orangutans

Orangutans (from Malaysian orang utan = man of the forest) have become a symbol of the negative impacts of the palm oil industry and the fight against it. As orangutans lose their original habitat by cutting down forests, in search of sources of sustenance they enter plantations where they feed on young palm trees, for which they are hunted and killed. The population of Sumatran orangutans (P. abelii) currently numbers around 13,000, and approximately 800 individuals of Tapanuli orangutans (P. tapanuliensis) survive. All orangutan species are classified as "Critically Endangered" in the Red List (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).

SOCP activities

Confiscation

SOCP works with Indonesian government conservation authorities to locate and seize orangutans sold on the black market or illegally kept as pets, and to assist these authorities in prosecuting actors involved in the illegal orangutan trade.

Rehabilitation

Seized orangutans or individuals injured in conflict with farmers are transported to the SOCP rescue centre southwest of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, where they undergo detailed medical examinations and are rehabilitated in socialization groups and local "forest schools". Every year, 20 to 40 orangutans reach the rescue centre. Over the entire duration of the program, more than 380 orangutans have already been accepted here.

Return to the wild

Once the orangutans are fit enough to return to the wild, they are transported in groups to one of SOCP's release centres. Here they are released into the wild to establish new, genetically viable populations in the vast protected forest sites of Bukit Tigapuluh and Leuser National Parks. More than 270 orangutans have already been released back into the wild.

Research

With regional, national and international universities and institutions, SOCP conducts basic surveys and monitoring of wild and newly established populations of Sumatran orangutans and their habitats, and conducts long-term studies of their behaviour and ecology in the wild.

Habitat protection

SOCP advocates for the expansion of protected areas and the improvement of the protection of existing ones. It works closely with local and international partners to prevent and mitigate species threats and strengthen the protection of the orangutan environment.

Orangutan Haven

Orangutan Haven is a solution for those orangutans in SOCP's care that can no longer be returned to the wild. Here they will live on natural islands as wild orangutan ambassadors, helping to improve visitor perceptions and public attitudes towards nature and wildlife.

You can learn more at www.sumatranorangutan.org.

How Ostrava Zoo helps

The Ostrava Zoo, together with all its visitors, supports the protection of orangutans within the framework of the SOCP project through the "3 CZK for Wildlife" program.