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Help Du and Her Babies Swing Free in the Wild

  • 🌿 Final Update – Thank You All 🌿

      18 September 2025
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    Thank you for supporting Du's family! The campaign ends today, and while we haven’t reached the full target, I am deeply grateful for every single person who has given, shared, or sent encouragement. Together, we’ve raised nearly $1,000. Your generosity will provide enrichment, food, and care that helps this remarkable Mum and her babies thrive while they wait to return to the forest. It will happen, but not as soon as would be ideal.

    So what will your money be spent on? When the babies contracted malaria the family was moved closer to the vet clinic for dedicated 24/7 care. The cage they are in now is very basic so money will be spent on a hammock and climbing materials, as well as ongoing vet care until they are fully recovered. These are all practical things that will enhance their life longer term, but another thing I will ask for the money to be spent on is for special treats, like dragon fruit and various nuts, which the babies love but is too expensive to be provided as standard enrichment treats.

    The funds will enhance their caged life and keep them happy, healthy and in good shape to be released, because of the support you have provided for them.

    Since we haven’t reached our goal, if any donor wishes to have their money returned, please let me know. I won’t forward the funds to Nyaru Menteng until the end of September to give you time to consider this.

    From my heart – thank you. 💚

    Helen

    👉 https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/free-du-and-her-babies-return-them-to-the-forest

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  • 5 Days Left to Free Du’s Family!

      15 September 2025
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    Du, a remarkable "super mum" orangutan is lovingly raising her birth baby Dai and adopted baby Dumel, but fundraising to relocate them to a pre-release island has stalled, with just 5 days to go. Please share as widely as possible. Releasing Du, Dai and Dumel isn't just about one family - it's about protecting entire rainforests. Here's why.

    Biodiversity Guardians: Orangutans like Du and her babies are vital to Borneo's biodiversity. As "gardeners of the forest," they disperse seeds across vast areas, promoting plant diversity and supporting ecosystems that house thousands of species. Protecting Du’s habitat prevents biodiversity loss. Just as NZ’s kiwi conservation preserves native forests for endemic species, orangutan relocation ensures Borneo's rainforests remain vibrant hotspots of life.

    Carbon Sequestration: Borneo's rainforests are massive carbon sinks, storing billions of tons of CO2 and mitigating climate change. Every hectare preserved sequesters up to 400 tons of carbon annually. Relocating Du’s family supports anti-deforestation efforts, enabling flora and fauna.

    By supporting Du's family's relocation, you're investing in rainforests that sustain life on Earth. The campaign closes on 19 September 2025 - join me in making a difference.

    Share and donate here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/free-du-and-her-babies-return-them-to-the-forest

    #OrangutanConservation #RainforestProtection #Biodiversity #ClimateAction

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  • In training for the real deal: Help Du’s Family Soar!

      10 September 2025
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    Here’s me (and friends) creating enrichment items for the orangutans at Nyaru Menteng where I met the exuberant toddlers Dai and Dumel, lovingly cared for by super Mum Du. While they are waiting for funding so they can be released the enrichment food prepares them with practical skills to use in the wild – if they are lucky enough to get that chance.

    From L-R

    • Filling sacks with food snacks – sacks are then folded into a tight roll

    • Baskets filled with fruit and vegetables – then the lid is flipped on

    • Food preparation – the fruit and vegetables are always fresh and delicious

    • Hammock making - strong, high quality materials are used to ensure safety for orangutans

    Other food puzzles we created included food stuffed into bamboo rods or coconut husks, food plaited into palm leaves and, my personal favourite, making ice-blocks with chunks of fruit inside, All of these enrichment items help with the caged orangutans’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

    An amazing experience but, best of all, I met the exuberant, crazy toddlers Dai and Dumel Du and witnessed Du’s special love: these little ones need to be free.

    🌿 Just $20 = 1 day of pre-release life.

    👉 https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/free-du-and-her-babies-return-them-to-the-forest

    Please share this post with your friends to help Du’s family soar! 🧡 #Orangutans #SaveOrangutans #BOSF

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  • This Father’s Day: Celebrating Orangutan Fathers — and Supporting Du’s Family

      7 September 2025
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    On Father’s Day, we celebrate the strength of family bonds - and the unique role of male orangutans. Unlike human dads, male orangutans, like Sulam, pictured here with his striking cheek flanges, roam alone in Borneo’s forests, leaving mothers like Du to raise their young single-handedly. While they don’t help raise their young, the male’s presence still shapes the forest. Dominant males use their deep calls to protect space and attract mates, passing on strong genetics that ensure the survival of the species.

    That’s why orangutan mothers like Du carry such an incredible load. Without fathers to help, every lesson and every ounce of protection comes from the mothers. Du’s love shines through as she nurtures her son Dai and adopted orphan Du Mal teaching them as much as she can within the confines of a cage. Now, Du and her little ones are ready for the next big step: release back into the wild. But they can’t get there without support.

    This Father’s Day, while we honour the dads in our own lives, you can also help honour the wild legacy of orangutan fathers by giving Du’s family the chance to return to the forest - where her young ones will someday grow up to shape the rainforest too. With just 12 days left, every dollar counts. Just $10 = 1 day of food and care for the family. Every gift makes a difference. 👉 https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/free-du-and-her-babies-return-them-to-the-forest

    Share to honour all parents like Du! #FathersDay #Orangutans #SaveOrangutans #BOSF

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  • Why these three orangutans?

      31 August 2025

    At Nyaru Menteng, Borneo, over 250 orangutans find loving refuge from wildlife poaching for the pet trade and deforestation for palm oil, along with subsequent crop conflicts. Among them all, Du, Dai, and Du Mal - a remarkable family - captured my heart. Why?

    1. Du’s Selfless Love: Du, a devoted mother, raises her son Dai and heroically adopted orphan Du Mal. Her heart is huge, but their cage is small.

    2. Trapped by Love: As Nyaru Menteng’s only family, they’re confined while other orphans swing freely at Jungle School. Life-saving malaria treatment saved both toddlers, because they were at the centre, but it’s time for freedom.

    3. A Wild Future: With only ~57,350 Bornean orangutans left, Du can teach her babies survival skills on a lush pre-release island, ensuring their species’ future.

    Du’s selfless act kept Du Mal alive, but it delayed her and Dai’s freedom. Their unique family bond keeps them in a cage, unlike orphans who explore freely (see video). However, at the centre, life-saving malaria treatment saved both toddlers - a care they wouldn’t get in the wild.

    Share their story to help them soar! 🧡 Your support can fast-track this family to a lush pre-release island where Du can guide her babies to thrive in the wild. Help us raise $7,500 to fund their release, care, and habitat protection and give Du, Dai, and Du Mal the wild life they deserve!

    #Orangutans #SaveOrangutans #BOSF

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  • Life on the wild side. With your help Du, Dai and Du Mal can live this life too.

      19 August 2025

    Here's Josie and her baby living it up on a sanctuary pre-release island as they prepare for life in the jungle. The forested islands have natural food sources and are a stepping stone for lucky ones like Josie to practice their survival skills and adapt to fluctuating food availability, with minimal human interaction. They learn to forage for food, build their nightly nests in the tree tops, and become independent enough to survive in the forest as nature intended. The islands are protected, supplemental food is provided, and all orangutans are monitored for their learning progress and health and well-being by highly trained technicians. The technicians assess the readiness of each orangutan before their final release into wild forests. As well as showing they have the knowledge and skills to survive in the wild, they must be in optimum physical condition, within a healthy weight range, and be free of all diseases. It's a long, expensive journey but let's start with the first simple step. Get Du and her babies out of a cage and onto a pre-release island so the youngsters can swing from trees and live a natural life. It's extremely rare for an orangutan to have more than one baby and Du is doing an amazing job as a mother, but you can't teach forest survival skills or live a full life in a cage. Thank you for your interest and support for Bornean orangutans, critically endangered since 2016. Let's up the odds and put three more into the wild swinging from the tree tops.

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