ABC’s Nightline from BOS Nyaru Menteng:

[Guest guest]

A special report airs tonight on ABC's Nightline from BOS Nyaru Menteng:

The Plight of the Red Apes

ABC News Gets a Rare Glimpse at Borneo's Orangutan Rehab Project

By MARGARET CONLEY

BORNEO, Indonesia, Dec. 7, 2007

The orangutan population is in danger and seriously on the decline due

to hunting, illegal trade and deforestation. Some say they may become

extinct within the next decade.

Hope for their survival rests in a safe haven in Borneo at a sanctuary

called Nyaru Menteng.

The orphaned and often injured orangutans are brought here and put

through a rehabilitation program before being released back into the

wild.

Lone Droscher-Nielsen, an orangutan enthusiast from Denmark,

co-founded the project with the Bornean Orangutan Society (BOS) with

the support of local forestry officials.

" It all started when I came here on holiday in 1993. I came back and

stayed, " Droscher-Nielsen told ABC News. A personal passion project,

Droscher-Nielsen even welcomed orangutans into her own home -- to live

with her while she cared for them.

Over seven years, she has had anywhere from 12 to 24 animal roommates.

It wasn't until recently that she got her house back to herself.

Today what's left of the orangutan population exists only in the

rainforests of Borneo and northern Sumatra in Indonesia. Orangutans

have close to 97 percent of the same genetic makeup as humans and are

arguably the most intelligent of the primates. The word " orangutan, "

derived from Malay and Indonesian, translates to " person of the forest. "

These forest people spend most of their time hanging around in trees

-- their arms may reach up to 6.5 feet -- significantly longer than

their 4-5 foot bodies.

The sanctuary, an hour and a half flight from Jakarta, is nestled in a

quiet, isolated location surrounded by lush tropical trees. It has 183

staff members for 641 orangutans, allowing for a ratio of a little

over three orangutans per person.

On the first day of arrival, each orangutan is quarantined for one to

two weeks. They receive a general health checkup, are treated for

parasites and tested for tuberculosis and hepatitis A, B and C.

Visitors to the sanctuary are advised to stay at least 25 feet away

from the animals to protect both species.

The youngest orangutans, under 2 and a half years old, are taken to

baby school. Some wear diapers. They are encouraged to climb trees and

make nests.

The 2- and 3-year-olds have class every day where they learn how to be

orangutans. They are led by the staff, some holding their hands as

they walk, to forest school where they are encouraged to find food on

their own and relearn the skills necessary to survive in the forests

again.

They train their muscles to survive in the forest in an area specially

designed to replicate tree branches and trunks with swinging ropes and

tires. Their day ends back at the sanctuary for socialization time

where they learn to mix with other orangutans.

The older residents of the sanctuary hang out on prerelease islands

that staff visit daily to feed and check on their health. But for the

most part they are left to their own devices as this is the last step

in the rehabilitation process before they are allowed to go feral.

Droscher-Nielsen and BOS hope their hard work will pay off so the

orangutans can return safely to their natural habitat. So far, they

have been successful with 36 orangutans now living back in the wild.

But the fight for survival is an uphill battle, as the orangutan's

habitat is increasingly threatened. Their homes are being destroyed,

logged, burned, or planted over, in some cases illegally, in a

developing country whose income relies on natural resources. Recently

much of the orangutan's land has been turned into palm oil

plantations. Palm oil is a widely produced edible vegetable oil,

commonly used for cooking and cosmetics.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, in Borneo and Sumatra the

orangutan population has declined by 30-50 percent in the last 10

years, with just over 60,000 orangutans left that survive.

Droscher-Nielsen and her team work seven days a week at the sanctuary

to try to save the last of the orangutans, one life at a time.

Story: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=3969647 & page=1

Slide show: http://abcnews.go.com/International/popup?id=3964458

Video preview of report here:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3970644