If you are hoping to contribute directly to the plight of the Sumatran orangutan then please read on.

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All our volunteering and fundraising projects are listed in the column to the right >>
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2 WEEKS VOLUNTEERING WITH A WILD ORANGUTAN RESEARCH PROJECT

This monthly 2 week volunteer programme offers you the opportunity to take part in important wild orangutan research in the depths of the Sumatran rain forest.

This long running project seeks to investigate how orangutans in the wild self medicate by observing them in their natural environment and collating data on their health and diet. Investigation of self-medicating behaviour in the wild orangutan is important for understanding how wild orangutans combat parasite infections that affect their health, reproduction and ultimately their survival. This understanding will help rehabilitation programs teach orangutans how to keep themselves healthy, so they are more likely to survive in the wild after reintroduction.

By volunteering on this project, you will be contributing to the conservation of the orangutan and its unique ecosystem by improving the understanding of both, while helping find new cures for illness in the human and orangutan worlds.

Cost

US $1,289 (excluding flights, insurance and tourist visa) / US $990 for students (excluding flights, insurance and tourist visa)

Team size

Minimum 2, maximum 6.

Important Note

Your participation fee is used to cover all the day-to-day expenses of running the project, including food and accommodations for volunteers and staff, operation of the research station, lab equipment and supplies, and the funds necessary to transport faecal, plant, and soil samples abroad for important analysis work. It is also used to pay the full cost of national park permits, at tourist rates.

Any "leftovers" are invested in the future expansion of the project, including the building of an ambitious new research station in an area of forest previously unstudied. This area is home to a significant population of wild orangutans and the new station will go a long way to protecting their habitat while simultaneously providing a site for conservation education, summer schools and an expansion of research.

The most important fact - there will be absolutely NO physical contact with the orangutans.

If you are hoping to come so that you can cuddle one of these amazing creatures, then this is not for you. This rule will be strictly enforced if necessary. It is also not possible to guarantee encounters with orangutans - the research focuses on wild orangutans and much of the work therefore takes place in areas where the orangutans themselves can be quite elusive, often staying high up in the canopy or travelling to other areas where more fruit is in season. This is the reality of wildlife fieldwork. However, should you be lucky enough to catch even a short glimpse of one of these graceful creatures in its natural habitat, the experience will certainly stay with you forever.