George: The Abandoned Orangutan

Meet George the abandoned orangutan who was rescued by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and find out more about his adoption journey with us and The Big Prawn Co.

Introducing George

Image: George sitting on the ground. Credits: BOSF

George is a 5 year old male orangutan and currently a student of level 1 Forest School. George was handed over to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (Samboja Lestari) from Bontang Conservation Agency on May 19, 2015. He was about 6 and a half months old at the time and was rescued when a villager found him crying alone, without his mother, in Sanggata village.

Upon arriving at the Foundation, it did take him a while to settle. He was quiet and reserved and preferred to keep to himself. After he became familiar with the environment of the foundation, he began to open up and make friends with other orangutans in his enclosure. He also was assigned a carer (babysitter) who is responsible for his development in the foundation.

Once fully settled, he soon became a happy baby orangutan and never bothered his babysitter. But George is known to become very upset if he does not get the first turn of the bottled milk – he is known to cry very loudly and would take his friend’s milk bottle instead.

Despite this, George is mainly known to be a smart orangutan and he loves to go to school. In fact, he does not need to be told by his babysitter as he is usually up and already waiting to go. Likewise, he is also very independent and does not want to be carried by his babysitter for the journey.

Image: George laying on the ground. Credits: BOSF

His independency has allowed him to develop the ability to climb well, build nests and explore. In fact, he does not really like being approached by his babysitter at all and prefers to rely on himself, even though he is still considered young. Yet, it is his progression in learning that has made the BOSF team feel confident that he will soon be able to move from one tree to the next.

When George comes back home from school, he is always aware of his playing hours. He never tries to stay out longer or bothers his babysitter, especially as he knows that a bottle of milk is waiting for him when he comes home.

The Foundation feels as if George, and the other orangutans in their care, will excel through Forest School as they strive to provide the best care plan for all of their orangutans. This involves providing healthy and nutritious food, regular health check-ups, and around-the-clock care by their babysitters.

The Foundation remains hopeful and will always do their absolute best to ensure all of the orangutans in their care get their second chance at a life of freedom in the wild. 

Image: George playing in the foliage. Credits: BOSF

The importance of the Borneo Orangutan Sanctuary Foundation

This adoption story reinforces the importance of BOSF and the important work they do:

George and The Big & Happy Collaboration

The sole purpose for this collaboration was to generate awareness to The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and the work that they do. By adopting George, both The Big Prawn Co. and The Happy Prawn Co. are showing how serious this issue is and how adoptions and support goes a long way. Just like them, we have hope that the orangutans would no longer be critically endangered and with your help, we can strive to achieve that. The video below depicts their 12 million year journey, which hopefully can be carried through young oranguans like George, for many years to come.

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About The Happy Prawn Co.

The Happy Prawn Co. is an independent, ethical brand producing 100% natural, 100% traceable Black Tiger prawns from Indonesia. Aimed at seafood lovers and foodies alike, the brand officially launched in 2018, but it’s the result of more than a decade’s dedication.

Check out this short video about our story here: