Efforts to protect vanishing orangutans get infusion of $200k

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Aug. 11, 2018 - PRLog -- The Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) announces that, in its role as the USA chapter of Australia-based The Orangutan Project (TOP), it is disbursing $200,000 to a dozen programs that are racing to protect critically-endangered orangutans on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The grants administered by TOP to eleven organizations will support wildlife warden positions, ecosystem protection, veterinary care, orangutan rescue, post-release monitoring, research, and other initiatives aimed at curbing population loss in this vulnerable species.

More than 100,000 Bornean orangutans disappeared between 1999 and 2015, according to a February 2018 study published in the journal Current Biology. Habitat loss could eliminate 45,000 more orangutans over the next 35 years.

"OURF is pleased to be able to serve as TOP's chapter in the USA," OURF President Gary L. Shapiro said. "This arrangement allows us to magnify our impact in financially supporting other organizations throughout Borneo and Sumatra with the same mission of orangutan survival."  To optimize coordination between OURF and TOP, Shapiro services on the board of TOP while TOP President Leif Cocks serves as Vice President and board member at OURF.

For a full list of funding recipients, visit https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/programs/education-initiatives/funding-education-proposals-mainmenu-7-66053/recipients-of-our-funding.

TOP's headquarters in Australia also provides funding for OURF's Mobile Education and Conservation Unit (MECU) and Orangutan Caring Scholarship program. "TOP will continue to support OURF and its education programs while providing a larger opportunity for public participation in funding traditional and innovative conservation projects," Shapiro explained.

OURF's mission is to "save the orangutans of Indonesia through conservation education, outreach initiatives and innovative collaborative programs that inspire and call people to action- especially the next generation."

TOP's mission is "to ensure the survival of both Sumatran and Bornean orangutan species in their natural habitat and promote the welfare of all orangutans.".

To learn more about OURF, visit https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/.

To learn more about TOP, visit https://www.theorangutanproject.org/.