Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary

Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation's largest rehabilitation centre

The Nyaru Menteng centre, about 30 km north of Palangka Raya, is run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and is the largest primate rehabilitation operation in the world. Rescued orphans are housed, taught forest survival skills, and eventually released into protected reserves further into Kalimantan.

The centre itself is closed to general visitors — keeping outside contact away from the apes is essential for their reintroduction. A small visitor area allows you to learn about the work and to support it. Several local operators arrange combined trips that also visit a release-monitoring area.

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A story
Nyaru Menteng was established in 1999 by Lone Drøscher Nielsen and has become the largest orangutan rehabilitation centre in the world — it has housed over 600 rescued orangutans at peak times. Most are orphans from forest clearance for palm-oil plantations; the goal is to teach them the skills they would have learned from a mother and release them into protected forest. The centre is closed to the public to protect the apes' health, but the foundation runs a small visitor area where you can learn about the work.

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