In Borneo, the dry season brings more than heat, it brings danger. Smoke and haze begin to choke the air, creeping through the canopy and smothering life below. Forest fires, often ignited by land clearing and intensified by drought, are among the greatest threats to orangutans and their rainforest home.

Each year, we fight desperately to protect the Orangutan Legacy Forest and surrounding areas. Forest fires decimate critical orangutan habitat, destroy biodiversity, displace wildlife and release vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Without proper firefighting equipment, we don’t stand a chance.

This year, we’re ready.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and a vital grant from The Albert and Barbara Tucker Foundation, Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) has mobilized a dedicated fire brigade. Trained, equipped, and ready to respond, this team is our frontline defence against destruction.

Here’s what we’ve accomplished:

• Established a local fire brigade made up of OFI staff and community members.
• Purchased essential firefighting gear including water pumps, hoses, gas-powered and manual backpack pumps, hoes, shovels, and fire beaters.
• Secured personal protective equipment including face mask respirators and eye protection for safe operation in heavy smoke.
• Built a custom equipment shed near the OFI Care Centre and Quarantine with organized storage for rapid deployment.
• Mapped high-risk zones to prioritize patrols, establish fire breaks, detect hot spots to extinguish small fires early and dig water holes in vulnerable areas where fires are anticipated.

Join us on the front lines of forest protection.

By defending the Orangutan Legacy Forest, we safeguard vital habitat for rehabilitated orangutans, wild orangutan populations and countless other species.

But we can’t do it alone.

Your continued support fuels our fire brigade and gives orangutans a fighting chance to survive and thrive. Please donate to help us fund more essential firefighting equipment and provide hope for orangutans, now and in the future.