Saving Orangutans from Afar: How We Make a Difference from California

When I say we save orangutans, what does that really mean?

Here we are in California—half a world away from the peat swamp forests of Borneo and the rainforests of Sumatra. And yet, from right here, we are saving them. Let me unpack what that really means, and how we—through the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF)—make that possible.

Saving orangutans isn’t just about rescuing individual apes or protecting trees. It’s about building an ecosystem of solutions. Through OURF’s programs and partnerships, we take a comprehensive approach to conservation. One of our core initiatives, the Orangutan Caring Scholarship, empowers Indonesia’s brightest young minds—future conservationists, foresters, veterinarians, and environmental educators—to protect orangutans for generations to come.

We go further. As a proud partner of The Orangutan Project (TOP) and Wildlife Conservation International (WCI), and serving as TOP’s official U.S. fiscal sponsor (doing business as their dba), OURF helps direct vital funding to dozens of local organizations across Indonesia that are working tirelessly to protect wild orangutans and their habitats. These grassroots groups are restoring forests, monitoring wild populations, conducting rescues and releases, and engaging local communities—making a tangible impact every day.

We also invest in community-led conservation, mentoring women’s groups and local leaders through our Community Education and Conservation Program (CECP) and new Community Conservation Mentorship Initiative (CCMI). And through our emerging ROCKET program, we’re introducing Indonesian students to cutting-edge tools like drones, AI, and remote sensing technologies to help them monitor and protect ecosystems from above.

And we don’t stop there. Through storytelling—books, public talks, social media, documentaries, and even courtroom testimony—we elevate the orangutan from a symbol of extinction to a symbol of hope. When I testified in Argentina in support of Sandra, a captive orangutan recognized by the court as a “non-human person,” I wasn’t just defending one life—I was helping redefine how humanity sees our primate cousins.

So when I say we save orangutans, I mean:

We educate.

We empower.

We invest.

We advocate.

We collaborate.

We restore.

From a quiet office in California to the heart of the rainforest, we are saving orangutans—by saving people, protecting places, and nurturing possibilities.