The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation manages two of the largest orangutan rehabilitation centers, namely Nyaru Menteng in Central Kalimantan, and Samboja Lestari in East Kalimantan. These two centers are currently taking care of nearly 350 orangutans. With an unwavering commitment to excellent animal welfare, BOS Foundation has undertaken the monumental task of relocating and combining all the facilities of the Nyaru Menteng Center. This is an important step in ensuring that orangutans undergoing rehabilitation can learn and develop more effectively in one integrated area.

In 2023, BOS Foundation secured all the land needed for the new Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation and Conservation Area. The 132-hectare site is a 10-minute drive from its original location. This upgraded center improves rehabilitation efforts, ensuring orangutans receive the best care before returning to the wild. With better infrastructure and integrated services, this relocation strengthens BOS Foundations’s conservation mission. As BOS Foundation grows, enhancing facilities is essential for improving orangutan rehabilitation and care.

The BOS Foundation has been making great strides in the design and development of their new Nyaru Menteng Center. Orangutan Outreach has been proud to support the BOS Foundation every step of the way! We are happy to report on the progress being made and the wonderful additions still to come.

Employee Mess Halls

In 2023, work began to create the Employee Messes. This work included developing roads, building retaining walls, and digging drainage trenches. Off-site fabrication of mess materials was ongoing and construction began in early 2024. The two Employee Mess buildings were officially completed in May 2024. These buildings will provide excellent living quarters for members of the Nyaru Menteng staff.

Office and Integrated Clinic Facilities

In February 2025, work began on the Clinic Complex which will contain the office and integrated clinic facilities. The plan is for this building to be functional and ready for use at the beginning of 2026. During July-September 2025, completed work included installing the walls, electrical, ceiling, and outside brick of the clinic/office building. This area will allow for streamlined communication and services for the orangutans.

Microbiology-Necropsy and Isolation Area

As all this work was being completed, soil compaction work was carried out on the road connecting the main clinic/office to its integrated facilities. This road will serve as a vital link for daily operations, including the safe and efficient transport of samples, equipment, and personnel. In late June, work began in the area which will house the Necropsy and Isolation Area and Microbiology Lab. In September, the foundations were laid for the microbiology, necropsy, and isolation buildings. Construction began in November 2025. These vital areas will be first-rate and the Isolation Area will include indoor cages and a playroom for the orangutans.

Forest School

The new area for rehabilitation includes an expanded Forest School area with a strong, new boardwalk and feeding platforms, a dedicated area for the surrogate mother team, a new orangutan playground, and large night houses full of enrichment items. All of the orangutans currently working their way through the levels of forest school were relocated and started learning in the newly constructed area at the beginning of May 2025. With the move to the new site, the center now has a more conducive environment to support the development of orangutans. A more natural setting with minimal human distractions is expected to enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation, allowing orangutans to focus on learning survival skills such as foraging, nest-building, and recognizing potential dangers. The rehabilitated orangutans will be well prepared for life in the wild upon their release.

Socialization Enclosure

The reconditioning of 7 blocks of old cages into 3 new blocks of larger cages has been completed. The socialization area is the home for orangutans who have graduated from Forest School and are awaiting transfer to a pre-release island. It provides an opportunity for orangutans to live together and continue learning from each other. The new, larger enclosures will provide the orangutans with more living area as well as plenty of space for stimulating enrichment.

Island Sanctuary

Work is taking place on the creation of islands that will be used as the homes for unreleasable orangutans. Much progress has been made on Islands A and C including digging of canals, construction of retaining walls, filling the islands with sand and dirt, and compaction. In addition, Island A has been planted with native trees. Initial work has begun to prepare for additional islands. In July the teams finished digging all the island canals and started land filling and compacting on islands B, D, and F. Seven islands will be created in total and work was ongoing throughout 2025. Orangutan Outreach is committed to moving all unreleasable orangutans out of cages and onto islands!

Multifunction Building

The Multifunction Building is designed as an integrated facility that brings together essential operations. It will serve as an operations hub, combining logistical, research, field operations, and technical support functions. The multi-purpose facility embodies the BOS Foundation commitment to efficiency, sustainability, and forest conservation by integrating multiple functions in one structure. Construction has not yet begun on this important area and fundraising is ongoing.

The complex design includes multiuse spaces for meetings or community events. It will also contain the firefighting equipment room, vehicle garage, logistics rooms, and maintenance workshop. In addition will be fruit and banana storage, volunteer workspaces, a kitchen and dining area, a prayer room, and enrichment space. The upper floor will serve as office and coordination space for the Sebangau National Park team, the research division, and the Mawas program. A spacious open area at the center of the building will be used for social gatherings, training, and ceremonial events, and to provide flexibility for future needs without requiring further construction. The design supports collaboration and provides a safe, functional, and future-ready work hub for orangutan conservation activities at Nyaru Menteng. In addition to the areas of Nyaru Meneteng that Orangutan Outreach has already contributed to, we have made a commitment of financial support for the Multifunction Building. Our 2026 fundraising efforts will focus on this project.

Lend Your Support

There is much excitement regarding the new Nyaru Menteng Center. It will provide an optimal environment for the orangutans and an excellent working center for the Nyaru Menteng staff. Once all of the funding is secured for the orangutan areas and support buildings, BOS Foundation will be able to focus on creating a visitor center. It would be an amazing opportunity for any orangutan lover to visit this new world-class orangutan facility.

Orangutan Outreach has made a commitment of ongoing financial support for the Nyaru Menteng Center and we hope you will join our efforts to provide the best experience for all of the orangutans under the care of BOS Foundation. We truly appreciate each donation that has already been provided. You can provide an additional gift on this page, or please contact us if you would like to discuss largesse. Thank you!

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