Letters from Scientists: Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP)

Hi there,

I’m Dr Ian Singleton, from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), in Indonesia, and the exciting new Orangutan Haven we have built here.

With the SOCP we have cared for over 460 orangutans since 2001. More than 200 of these have been reintroduced to the wild in central Sumatra and another 170 in the far north. At both locations we are establishing two entirely new, self-sustaining wild orangutan populations – something myself and the SOCP are very proud of!

These last few years I have been busy at the new Orangutan Haven. We have created 9 ‘naturalistic’ islands here for orangutans here that cannot be released to the wild, for health or other reasons. There are 7 orangutans here now - 3 of them are blind!! Visit the Haven website and get to know them better.

At the Haven they can live out their days in a much more natural setting than the metal cages they previously lived in. They can also play an important role in the future of their species, by helping to educate visitors and schools, and helping to change people’s perceptions and behaviour towards wildlife and the environmental - something else we are all very proud of!

Maybe one day you can visit us here at the Haven and see how beautiful it is, and how amazing the orangutans are. You could also think about adopting one of them. You should be able to see some photos and find out more about them all on our social media too!

Best wishes from Sumatra!

Ian Singleton, Ph.D., OBE