Chevron (formerly Unocal) supports the Balikpapan Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), a non-profit organization that is carrying out a unique conservation project at the Wanariset Station on the island of Borneo.
BOS was formed in 1991, when Dr. Willie Smits, a tropical forest ecologist and senior advisor to the Minister of Forestry of Indonesia, found a dying orangutan in a local market. Located in the jungle 38 kilometers from Balikpapan, the Wanariset station rehabilitates captive orangutans and reintroduces them into their natural habitat. BOS also supports law enforcement efforts involving the confiscation of illegally held orangutans, conducts research on disease prevention and treatment, and educates local people on orangutan survival issues and the tropical forest ecosystem.
The efforts of Dr. Smits and his team have resulted in the successful reintroduction and translocation of some 400 orangutans to their natural habitat. Former Unocal employees and their families have helped with this process, sometimes conveying orangutans for release deep into the forest. A 2001 grant is helping to protect areas of forest where the reintroduction of orangutans generally takes place - including the Sungai Rain Forest and the Meratus Forest, both near Balikpapan. For more information about BOS and its efforts please visit www.orangutan.com.
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