Every year on November 5, Indonesia celebrates Hari Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional (HCPSN) or National Flora and Fauna Love Day. This day is more than a commemoration. It is a reminder of our shared responsibility to safeguard Indonesia’s rich biodiversity. In line with this spirit, the story of Inung, a rehabilitated orangutan thriving in the Bukit Batikap Protected Forest, offers an inspiring example of conservation success.
Inung was first released into the wild in 2013, at the age of 15, alongside her two young daughters, Indah and Ina. Since her release, Inung has adapted remarkably well to life in the forest. Over the years, she has successfully raised and given birth to four infants in Batikap, a testament to her resilience and the effectiveness of the rehabilitation program.
By 2025, Inung’s story reached a new milestone. She is now often seen accompanied by her two youngest children, Indie and Indro, who faithfully follow her explorations through the forest. Their daily lives continue to overlap with Totat Jalu Monitoring Camp, where researchers and monitoring teams carry out their conservation work.
Scientific studies have highlighted that orangutans’ ability to adapt post-release is strongly influenced by their life history and learning experiences. Inung’s successful reintroduction into the wild illustrates how structured rehabilitation can prepare orangutans for survival in their natural habitat.
In 2025, the Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) Team observed Inung three times in March, May, and July.
- March: Inung was spotted carrying her two youngest, Indie and Indro, near the Totat Jalu Monitoring Camp. She was seen enjoying cassava planted near the camp before moving to her favourite guava tree, where she and her young ones fed leisurely.
- May: Inung returned, calmly foraging on bamboo and lunuk fruit. That evening, she chose to reuse and repair an old nest rather than build a new one, a behaviour that demonstrates orangutans’ resourcefulness in conserving energy and materials. This aligns with observations that orangutans often exhibit innovative survival strategies.
- July: Inung and her two youngsters appeared once more, this time resting for long periods in a Sterculia tree before later building a new nest in a fig tree (Ficus variegata). Meanwhile, Indie, her adolescent daughter, showed early signs of independence by crafting her own nest and even playing creatively with nearby branches. This behaviour highlights how Inung successfully teaches her offspring the evidence of survival skills for life in the wild.
According to research on orangutan rehabilitation, the development of foraging and nest-building skills in young orangutans is a critical step toward successful independence in the wild.
Inung’s story is not just about her survival. It represents the broader success of orangutan reintroduction programs. Orangutan conservationists stress that long-term survival in the wild is the true measure of success, not simply the act of release.
The fact that Inung has raised four offspring in the wild proves that reintroduced orangutans can establish sustainable generations. Indie’s growing independence and Indro’s ongoing learning under their mother’s care further emphasize the long-term impact of successful rehabilitation.
Their resilience and adaptability are key traits that determine whether rehabilitated orangutans thrive after release. Inung embodies both, passing down survival skills to her young.
Inung’s journey is perfectly aligned with the spirit of HCPSN 2025. This celebration is more than a symbolic reminder. It is a call to action to protect Indonesia’s flora and fauna, including orangutans, which are currently classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
From Inung, we learn that every act of rehabilitation, conservation, and habitat protection can yield real results. When provided with a safe space, orangutans can not only survive but also continue their lineage in the wild. This is living proof that when love for flora and fauna becomes part of our way of life, conservation success becomes possible.
References:
- Sherman, J., Ancrenaz, M., & Meijaard, E. (2020). Shifting apes: Conservation and welfare outcomes of Bornean orangutan rescue and release in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Journal for Nature Conservation, 55, 125807.
- Preuschoft, S., Yassir, I., Putri, A. I., Aoliya, N., Yuliani, E., Badriyah, S. N., … & Kalcher-Sommersguter, E. (2021). Learning to be an orangutan—implications of life history for orangutan rehabilitation. Animals, 11(3), 767.
- Bridgeland-Stephens, L., Thorpe, S. K., & Chappell, J. (2023). Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): Lessons from a scoping review of interventions in humans and other animals. Animal Welfare, 32, e77.
- Russon, A. E. (2009). Orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction. Orangutans: Geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation, 327-350.
- Schuppli, C., Forss, S. I., Meulman, E. J., Zweifel, N., Lee, K. C., Rukmana, E., … & van Schaik, C. P. (2016). Development of foraging skills in two orangutan populations: needing to learn or needing to grow?. Frontiers in zoology, 13(1), 43.
Text by: Communication Team, BOS Foundation Headquarters, Bogor, West Java
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