Papa was repatriated from Taiwan and arrived at BOS Samboja Lestari on September 1, 1994, at the age of five. Unfortunately, Papa was diagnosed with Hepatitis B, a contagious virus known to be transmittable among both humans and orangutans. For Papa, this meant he could not join Forest School with other orangutans of his age, and as such did not have the opportunity to fully develop his forest survival skills.

Back then, orangutans who tested positive for Hepatitis B were separated from other orangutans to prevent the risk of disease transmission. However, medical science more recently found that the strand of Hepatitis B found in orangutans (Orangutan hepadnavirus) actually occurs naturally in the wild, and is not dangerous. This was an amazing finding; one which gave hope to orangutans like Papa, who would now be able to experience freedom outside of a quarantine enclosure.

Caring for Papa over the years, he is known by all as the “gentle giant”: Papa has never shown signs of aggression toward his caregivers, nor toward other orangutans during his time at Samboja Lestari, and has won the hearts of us all.

Please support the BOS Foundation & the longterm care of orangutans like Papa by making a donation today!
https://redapes.org/BOS