Orangutan Conservation Initiative

Understand orangutans

Orangutan facts, satellite fire maps, and firsthand accounts from Borneo.

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≈117K Estimated Wild Orangutans

3 Living Orangutan Species

7–9 Years Young Stay With Their Mothers

34% Borneo Forest Cleared

Live Conservation Data

Fires Across Orangutan Habitat

Follow the 2026 fire season with recent satellite detections across Borneo and Sumatra. Switch between recent activity and historical records, explore detections by month or day, and share or download a dated map.

View fire detections alongside orangutan range, protected areas and tree plantations. Turn layers on and off to see where they overlap, and use satellite imagery to examine the surrounding landscape.

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How You Can Get Involved

Learn About Orangutans

Make Informed Choices

Learn About the Issues

Teach and Share

October 2026

Left in the Dark Jungle

By Rod Brindamour

Not long after we established Camp Leakey in 1971, we began learning a number of things about working in the jungle fairly quickly. Studying wild orangutans involved quietly walking the trails, listening for the telltale sounds of them moving through the trees or the "plop, plop" of fruit hitting the ground as they ate. Over time we’d built a trail system that spanned a total area of 35 square kilometres.

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August 2026

Princess and the Tree

By Dr. Gary Shapiro

On August 3, 1978, I carried a four-year-old orangutan named Princess from Camp Leakey into the nearby swamp forest. I had arrived at the research camp only a month earlier to study whether orangutans could learn and use signs to communicate.

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July 2026

Growing Up Around Camp Leakey

By Binti Brindamour

I was born in Indonesia in 1976. My parents were Biruté Galdikas and Rod Brindamour, the founders of Camp Leakey, the research station in what is now Tanjung Puting National Park.

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Make Informed Choices

Know What Helps

People who care about orangutans and conservation are often asked to donate, adopt, volunteer, travel, or change what they buy. But not every option has the same impact.

Our guides explain what responsible support can look like, what questions to ask, and how to avoid choices that may cause harm. Informed choices can help protect forests, strengthen local communities, and give orangutans a better chance to remain in the wild.

See Orangutans in the Wild