Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) sadly announces Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas (1946 – 2026) died in the early morning hours of Tuesday March 24th in Los Angeles, California with loved ones by her side. She heroically fought lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, a condition likely exacerbated by fighting wildfires that ravaged the orangutan habitat in Borneo. Dr. Galdikas’ groundbreaking discoveries and work with orangutans for fifty-five years, made her an extraordinary scientist, renown conservationist, and the world’s foremost orangutan authority.

Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas was featured numerous times in National Geographic Magazine and has been honoured for her work by the following institutions:

The Explorers Club of New York – The Explorers Club Medal

Officer, Order of Canada

Indonesia’s Hero for the Earth Award (Kalpataru)

Sierra Club Chico Mendes Award

The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

PETA Humanitarian Award

We at OFI Australia are all heartbroken by this devastating news.