In September, 2012 veterinarian and film-maker Stephen Van Mil and Kobe Steele pulled together a band of orangutan lovers.

There was an important job to be done!!

Dr. Galdikas had  been offered an extraordinary opportunity to buy a rich, bio-diverse rainforest known locally as the Rawa Kuno. It covered 6,400 acres and was home to 200 wild orangutans. Through Dr. Galdikas organisation, Orangutan Foundation International, she had already raised more than half the $640,000 asking price. BUT, time was running out.  There was a deadline of December 2012 to raise the money or the deal was off, and the land would probably be sold to a neighbouring palm oil plantation.

So the decision was made to form a local branch of Dr Galdikas’ organisation, to be known as Orangutan Foundation International Australia.