Background Story

Mawa was rescued from a local resident of North Kayong, West Kalimantan in November 2022. Reports indicated that a local fisherman had found Mawa on October 31, 2022. The villager claimed he found the baby in an area being cleared by a forestry company, beside a pile of branches. Mawa was taken to the YIARI Orangutan Rescue, Rehabilitation and Conservation Center (Ketapang). It was confirmed that Mawa was a male orangutan of about one year old, suffering from dehydration and malnutrition. He completed 8 weeks of quarantine during which he was nursed back to health.

Mawa Today

Mawa is lovingly cared for by Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI). Mawa will spend time in rehabilitation at the YIARI Center in order to learn all the skills he will need to survive in the wild. A baby orangutan would normally spend up to 8 years with his mother to learn forest skills. Since Mawa was separated from his mother, the YIARI team has provided Mawa with the next best thing. Mawa has been placed with a surrogate orangutan, a lovely female named Temon. We are thrilled to see the two bonding well. It is amazing to watch Mawa progress under the loving care of Temon!