Our names are Gail and Charlie. We have supported The Orangutan Project for around ten years and closely follow their various projects in protecting orangutans, rescuing and caring for displaced orangutans and orphans, conserving their vital habitat, and most exciting, releasing orangutans back to the wild. We are delighted to have the rare opportunity to visit the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem in central Sumatra, where we shall see for ourselves the amazing scientific and conservation work being done by TOP and its partners. As a condition of going on this trip, we are required to make a donation
of $5,000, separate from the cost of travel, to The Orangutan Project. All the money raised on this site goes directly to TOP. For more information about this excellent organisation and their vital work, please visit www.orangutan.org.au
Bukit Tigapuluh is a remote and wild place. In the 1830s the local population of Sumatran orangutans became extinct, but thanks to the world's most successful orangutan reintroduction program, over 200 red apes now live in the Bukit Tigapuluh area. The field stations are not easily reached: only highly modified four-wheel drive vehicles can negotiate the roads. Indeed, the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem is a far cry from the places most tourists visit to view orangutans. Serious scientific research and conservation work are being carried out in the field stations and surrounding rainforest, and we are keen to observe the daily challenges of a dedicated group of orangutan specialists. We don't doubt that we'll find the Bukit Tigapuluh experience physically and mentally demanding but also immeasurably rewarding.
