30 March 2009 - Santa Monica, CA .  The Orangutan Caring Club of North Sumatra (CPOI Sumut), an affiliated organization under OUREI Indonesia, opened its operational office in Medan, Sumatra on 1 January 2009. Once opened, CPOI Sumut leader Herman Syputra immediately began the organization's school education program with its all volunteer staff.  Yet, the organization waited to formally inaugurate the new office in a ceremony on 5 March during the visit of OURF President Dr. Gary Shapiro and OUREI Indonesia Chairman Soedomo Mergonoto.  During the ceremony, Mr. Herman presented a summary of CPOI's various activities in 2008 and 2009. The ceremony and further meetings enabled the motivated volunteers to discuss program and coordination issues with OURF leadership.

  

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March 21, 2009 - Cave Junction, Oregon.  A small family-run business in Southern Oregon is making a contribution to the cause of the orangutan. Diggin' Livin' Farm and Apiary, owned and run by Joy McEwen, produces a small line of farm products, principally bee products such as honey and candles, as well as a line of goat's milk soap, and Shetland wool. Aside from being a beekeeper, Joy has been manufacturing soap for eight years or so. She sells her products at farmers markets and local shops. Like so many other soap makers Joy used to use large amounts of palm oil in her products. When Joy learned about orangutans and the loss of their habitat to oil palm plantations, she quickly became concerned with the unethical use of palm oil. Joy nearly quit the soap business, but finally settled on reformulating her recipes and relabeling her soap to help bring awareness to this issue. Her new line of soaps is called Save the Orangutan Soap.  She is donating 35% of the profits of each bar to organizations committed to assisting the Orangutans. Orang Utan Republik Foundation is one of the organizations she is supporting.

 

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March 15, 2009 - Jakarta, Indonesia. Post production on the OUREI Indonesian documentary, "A Princess Meets Princess" was completed in Jakarta during early March 2009. The documentary complements  OUREI's first Indonesian production, "Sumatran Orangutans" (2006). Both videos feature OUREI's Ambassador, Angelina Sondakh as the host of each program. In this latest production, Angelina, Miss Indonesia 2001 or "Princess Indonesia", takes a trip to Central Kalimantan to find and meet the famous orangutan Princess-hence the title.  Along the way she also meets fascinating orangutans and interesting people.

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December 24, 2008 - BBC News. Orangutans can help each other get food by trading tokens, scientists have discovered - but only if the help goes in both directions.

 

Researchers from the University of St Andrews found orangutans could learn the value of tokens and trade them, helping each other win bananas. An article in Biology Letters, claims it is the first evidence of "calculated reciprocity" in non-human primates. Gorillas and chimpanzees were much less willing to co-operate, they report.

 

 

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