Lone Droscher-Nielsen & Orangutan Island
By Eirik Knutzen
Copley News Service
Only a thin wall separates Lone Droscher-Nielsen from the 24 orphaned babies sleeping in her house every night. And she doesn’t sleep very well, as she is awakened many times during the night by terrified infants whimpering, crying and screaming for their mothers.
Often emaciated, sick and wounded, they are the children of “the people of the forest” - who share 97 percent of man’s DNA - left to die in the steaming tropical rain forest of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) after watching their parents slashed to death with machetes or blown to bits by shotguns fired by illegal loggers.
Helpless, the tiny, traumatized creatures with long red hair and big pleading eyes cling to each other - or caring humans with warm hearts, soothing voices and gentle hands. And these are the relative handful of lucky tykes - all Pongo pygmaeus, aka orangutans - in the sanctuary of Droscher-Nielsen’s home at the Nyaru Menteng Rescue and Rehabilitation Center she founded in 1999.
“I sleep next door and hear the babies begging for milk when they wake up, but after 12 years of sleeping with them, I can’t do it anymore,” said the 43-year-old former SAS flight attendant from Aalborg, Denmark. “It may not add up to a lot of rest, but two baby sitters work through the night now to take care of every infant’s needs. But I’m there if any animal is sick.”
Working with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, Droscher-Nielsen now manages the largest primate project on the planet. With 631 orangutans fairly evenly divided between young orphans and wild adults currently in her care, her job is actually more like a 24-7 situation requiring a great deal of diplomacy, incredible administrative detail and ceaseless fundraising.
Money is always a serious issue as no orangutan is turned away regardless of physical condition in a feverish bid to stave off the orangutan’s almost inevitable extinction by 2020. No one knows how many orangutans are left in the wild of Southeast Asia (a vast majority reside in Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra), but an educated estimate ranges between 25,000 to 30,000. Unfortunately, some 5,000 orangutans are expected to die annually over the next few years, mostly due to corporate greed, habitat destruction, misguided ecologists and individuals capable of unspeakable animal cruelty.
Droscher-Nielsen and the supportive Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation now entails some 100 employees ranging from veterinarians and lab technicians to cooks and orangutan nannies.
Finding creative ways of obtaining new funding is not one of her strengths, according to Droscher-Nielsen, but as luck would have it, she works with a number of people who excel at raising money.
“Some of the girls here were inspired by feature films like ‘Lord of the Flies,’ but with a twist,” she explained, laughing.
“Instead of children ending up on an island to love and hate each other, we have 42 young adult orangutans introduced on a 100-acre island in the middle of Borneo. Human support is quickly withdrawn and they are forced to rely on each other to sharpen their survival skills for the next, and last, level: the return to their natural habitat some day.”
And, borrowing bits and pieces from the documentary “March of the Penguins” and the intimate, long-range examination of animal behavior in the Animal Planet documentary series “Meerkat Manor,” “Orangutan Island” was born.
The fun - and drama - starts when the mischievous band of red apes is dumped from the boat and learns to fend for themselves, recorded by an unobtrusive film crew.
“We hope viewers will fall in love with them all and in the process raise the awareness of the plight of the orangutans, who are in dire need of help,” said the self-taught Danish primate expert.
She wants everyone to see her personal favorites, the sweet and lovable Cha Cha, the sexy Jasmine, the feisty Daisy, the happy Bandit Boys, the randy Saturnus and the wily Hamlet - and how they cope.
“The primary reason the rehabilitated orangutans are with us today is the destruction of their habitat,” said Droscher-Nielsen.
In essence, enormous amounts of mature trees are felled by illegal loggers who sell the wood to Chinese and Indian factories making them into coffee tables for the European and American markets. The ancient trees that provided the great apes with food and shelter have been replaced by palm oil saplings providing biodiesel fuel that burns cleaner in cars and ingredients used in thousands of products from hand soap to cooking oil. Cleaner air and armpits mean another orangutan dies soon in Southeast Asia.
Droscher-Nielsen, the daughter of a carpenter and a homemaker, stumbled over her true calling when she arrived on vacation 14 years ago at a compound in Borneo’s Tanjung Puting National Park run by Canadian primate expert Dr. Birute Galdikes.
“I have always been lucky and wanted to give something back,” she explained. “When I saw the malnourished, intelligent, childlike orangutans with outstretched hands and pleading eyes, I had to save them. I had no choice.”
December 15th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Lone Dröscher Nielsen
Bonjour,
j’ai vue une emmission sur toi.
je suis Français j’ai 50 ans, si tuconnais le Français ou tu peux faire traduire.
si oui laisse moi une adresse msn ou mail
biz Guy
December 15th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
CHÈRE LONE DROSCHER,
POUVEZ VOUS ME DONNER VOTRE EMAIL?
CORDIALEMENT.
jeanarranz@hotmail.com
-JEAN ARRANZ
13 avenue de l’observatoire
PARIS FRANCE
December 15th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Hi i’m french i would like to have the mail address of Lone Droscher Nielsen
December 15th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
hello, your are formidable !
Merci beaucoup très amicalement Céline
December 15th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Bonjour,
Très sensible au devenir des grands singes, y compris et surtout les orangs outan, je suis adhérente à l’institut Jane Goodall. J’ai vu aujourd’hui un reportage très émouvant sur Lone Dröscher Nielsen, que je ne connaissais pas et je me demande comment je peux, moi qui habite en France, vous aider.
Nous devons garder l’espoir de sauver tous ces êtres merveilleux..
Très cordialement.
Jacqueline
December 21st, 2007 at 9:09 am
Hi Lone,
I also saw you on tv and I didn’t know about your rehabilitation center. I believe that you must be very tired fitting for so many years for those orangutans.
Please let us know your e-mail adress i would love to be able to talk to you directly.
respectfully
nathalie
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Dear Lone,
My name is Jenny Harris and I love orangutans to. I think what you are doing is great. I want to help orangutans to. I am doing my speech at school on orangutans. My mom says when I get big I can do anything. I would love to help you if you ever have anyone come help you please let me. I work very hard and I am very strong. It would have to be in the summer when I am out of school. I bet my mom would help to. Can I please have your mailing address so I can write you and your e-mail address.
Love Jenny
January 6th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Dear Lone,
I realize that time doesn’t allow you to respond to everyone. But I have followed you and your organization for the past year. There are so many organizations that seem to help in the plight of the orangutan, but your organization seems to inspire me. I am currently working as a school teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada USA, but have worked in the non-profit/fundraising arena for most of my adult life. I have contacted one other organization about helping fund raise, but there first words were? How much “wildlife” experience have you had? I am “NO” Steve Irwin, but I have a great love for what you are doing. I know that your organization has great needs, and I believe that somehow or someway I can help?? I have done my homework. I spent three months in a wheelchair healing from a crushed foot, and all I had was time reading, and reading, and researching on the Orangutan. I go back to school on 1/7 and I promised my class that we would adopt one or two of your babies. I do believe that I can do more? Orangutan Island is an awsome little show. They need to take a chance on it and give a hour time slot. Well, this is becoming a “War and Peace” novel!
Lone, your doing what most women only dream of doing! I hope to meet you someday, but more importantly I hope I can find a way help those sweet, awsome faces.
Warmest Regards,
Jeannette C. Young M.Ed, M.A
2117 Jadeleaf Ct.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89134
(702) 438-1848 or 497-6764
tjtcac@cox.net
January 12th, 2008 at 2:49 am
[...] Learn more about this remarkable lady at Orangutan Outreach. [...]
February 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Dear Lone,
Once I seen your show of Orangutan Island I fell in love. Not only for the remarkable, so human like Orangutans, but for the work that you do. You are a inspiration to me and many others. I truley hope there will be a second season of the show, which I am sure there will be….. But to you Miss.Lone, I love you for what you do and what you do is the the greatest thing ever.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
The first time I heard about your work, I was on a plane reading the article in the SAS magazine.
My first thought was that this is what I am supposed to do with my life….
The orangutangs have always been close to my heart, and if anything make sense in this crazy world, it is what you are doing Lone.
If I get the chance I would like to come and spend a month working with you… Then after that who knows…
It would be great if I could send you an email..
Best regards,
Ruth
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Hi
I saw the movie about Lone and the orangutangs in Swedish television yesterday and today I have adopted Kesa. I cant remember the scene when I saw the orangutange female how was prostitude to humans, it was so awful I will never forgot it.
Now I look forward to have a own baby adopted.
Best regards to mum Lone.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Hi!
I also saw the program on Swedish televison.. I would like to send some money too her and the organisation..
How can you do that?
Please, someone answear this mail!
// Susanne
July 17th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Hola!
Avui he vist el documental que tractava sobre la teva organització protectora d’Orangutans. La veritat m’ha impactat moltíssim !
Comparteixo la teva preocupació a la vora de cedir la recaptació de les donacions a grans organitzacions dedicades a la protecció dels animals. Penso, jo, que una xarxa de col·laboradors no “tutelada” per cap “gran organització”, segurament seria molt més atractiva… tot i que, segurament, també menys efectiva. la ingent quantitat de diners necessitada pel teu projecte serà, tristament, més fàcil d’assolir per una organització gran…
M’agradaria poder-te ajudar, si et plau, digue’m com…
Gràcies pel teu treball, pel teu cor.
Fins ben aviat !
July 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Un documental que ens recorda com estem deixant el món. Lone, el teu treball i compromís no té preu. Miraré de com ajudar econòmicament. Però el canvi del món el podem fer les persones, no els polítics ni organitzacions que estan nugats a lleis, burocràcia i temps perdut. Sóc mare d’un infant d’un any i m’agradaria que ell i els meus alumnes de secundària començaren a cuidar una mica més el món, a gastar els recursos de casa, a no crear més desequilibri, a viure millor amb menys … i a respectar com un tresor el món on vivim.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Hi Lone!
My name is Johanna Broth. I’m 19 years old and live in Sweden…
I’ve been to Borneo two times before and now I’m planning to make my third trip to Borneo. I really want to have contact with you before I leave Sweden. Can you please send me you e-mail address, that would be very very nice because I have a few questions I’d like to ask you before my journey begins. My e-mail address is johanna.broth@hotmail.com.
Best regards
Johanna from Sweden!
August 5th, 2008 at 5:28 am
I completely agree with what you have written here. Every word is so true.
Can I request you to add my site on your blog - http://www.iloveorangutan.com
Also, I would like to add your website url from my site. Can I do so?
Rgds,
Deepak
September 17th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hello
Is tourists welcome to visit Lone’s centre? I’ve planned a trip to Borneo, and i would like to stop and visit the orangutangs. Where is it located and how do i get there?
best regards and greetings from Sweden
September 17th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hi Anton,
Nyaru Menteng is not open to the public. Having lots of visitors would be a major health risk to the orangutans– especially the little ones.
BOS has another site that is open for visitors. It’s called Samboja and you can learn more about it here: http://sambojalodge.com
Feel free to email if you have any questions– or contact them directly.
Thanks for your support and interest in protecting orangutans! ~OO
September 27th, 2008 at 3:50 am
does anyone know ms lone droscher’s direct email address. ?i would like to get in touch with her directly.thnks
September 29th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Lone is so incredibly busy running the center that she simply doesn’t have enough time to answer all the questions coming in from her supporters and fans across the globe..!
She tries to read all the comments on redapes.org– so feel free to send her your thoughts, words, and prayers…. She is incredibly appreciative!
October 6th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Dear Mrs. Lone
I know you’re very busy and so I’m sorry that my question might seem really unimportant. But we just need to ask this question. I live in Bogor, and about 6 years ago my family sent 3 orangutans- the name were Dul, Bonbon and upik. Sent by Ibu Amalia. We got them from people who abandoned them/treat them badly, and I grew up with Dul together, literally, for 8 years. We’re like my sisters… and that time we didn’t know anything about Nyarumenteng… and we’re against them to be released in the wild because we thought Indonesian forest are dangerous. But finally, we got more information and decided to send them to Nyaru Menteng, with lots of tears. I know it’s impossible for you to remember all the orangutans names one by one, but still….
That time Ibu Amalia visited Nyaru Menteng several times to see how the orangutans doing. But to be permitted to enter it needs your permission, and since your number became permanently unactive, and our mails were never been replied, we guess you became a lot busier.
these past 6 years we’ve been missing them, we just want to know whether they’ve been released in the wild or not, had they been healthy, could they survived well, and is it possible for us to see them again, perhaps in the forest, and what should we do so we can do that?
We really loves orangutans, we stop using the palm oil, and it hurts us everytime we read/watch about the disasters/cruelty related to orangutan…
By the way…
My family watched “Orangutan Island” on Animal Planet very diligently, over and over on Indovision. Me and my Mom cried when Oyoy was founded dead. We love all the characters there, even Hamlet the bully. Even the trailer lines ( –” This is a story… about hope and survival”—) make us cries,so we cries everytime we watched the trailer. Lots of love and prays to all the orangutans all over the world!!
October 20th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
hola alguien me podria ayudar a contactarme con el centro de rescate para orangutanes…soy ingeniera Ambiental y estaria dispuesta a brindar mi conocimiento y mi trabajo para contribuir con la causa y evitar a que esta especie se siga extinguiendo…soy de colombia…mi correo vivitamarcela@hotmail.com