Bonny; Orangutan; Sumatra; Male; 5 years
Source: Bonny was brought to the zoo sanctuary by the owner who was afraid of arrest by police. He was then transferred to a larger reservation. His face seemed wise beyond his 5 years. He was soon to be released into the wild.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 6 years
Source: Joji's mother was killed so he could be taken for the live animal trade. He was then smuggled to Japan through Bali Airport, but then confiscated from a Japanese pet shop and taken to the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project in Indonesia. After staring at me with his long eyelashes and sweet face he suddenly attempted to snatch my camera, he got a cable which he tore in half like it was a blade of grass.
Orangutan; Sumatra; Male; 3 years
Source: Ciu was found by a priest alone on small road outside of a forest. He lived with the priest’s family at Sangatta, East Kalimantan. Very small. Loves to eat. He was one of the favorite among keepers at Wanariset and one of laziest orangutans in group. Rarely climbs high; likes climbing low then diving to ground or on to technicians. Particularly protective of his two surrogate mothers Sion and Ipeh- he tried to bite me when I said hello!
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male ; 3 years
Source: When Jovan was very small he was about to be smuggled out of Tanjung Priok port, Jakarta, when confiscated by forest rangers. He was a quiet placid orangutan, preferring to play alone. A good climber, very self-confident in forest, he liked to climb high trees, but always climbed down at the end of the day as he doesn’t like to sleep alone.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 2 years
Source: Haidar was kept as a pet with rich family in central Java, given up once family was finally persuaded of illegality and risks to health. Weak on arrival and very spoiled, eating only certain kinds of fruit, only in small amounts. When I photographed him he was much better and stronger, with good self-confidence. He pulled himself slowly up a tree with his long hair sticking up like a small windswept professor.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 10 years
Source: Kudel was one of largest and most adventurous apes in the sanctuary. A joker he liked to play practical jokes on fellow apes and handlers, knocking them over and being the centre of attention. He thought it was funny to stealing my lens cap and then climbing a tree so we couldn’t get it back. He thought he was the most important Orangutan in the group and insisted on being served first at mealtimes- a right show off!
Orangutan; Indonesia; Female; 5 years
Source: Inge was bought from a hunter for 30.000 rupiah (US$4), remaining with the owner for 3 years. Fed daily only a little milk, 6 pieces of banana, rice and instant noodles. She was confiscated by the Wanariset team and was very weak on arrival. She was the oldest member of baby group and did not like to play with other orangutans. She preferred to sit alone in the playground, and had to get extra attention from keepers until she adapted into the group. She had long eyelashes which she fluttered as she looked at you.
Orangutan; USA; Female; 3 years
Source: Millie was rejected by her mother and then diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the only orangutan known to survive with the disease. She needed constant care from her human surrogate mother in Miami. She was very sweet, with long hair sticking up straight like she’d stuck her fingers in an electrical socket.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 6 years
Source: Rio was bought as a pet when a baby. He lived in a house with an owner, who became afraid once Rio grew too large and strong. He was very stressed on arrival at the sanctuary but quickly nursed back to health. Shortly after I took his picture he was released into the wild.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 8 years
Source: Simon was treated as a human child by his owner who had brought him a pet, but after he became too big and strong he was dumped at Jakata zoo. He had bald spots where his hair had been torn out through stress. His health was good when I met him and he was known as having a particularly gentle and calm character.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 7 years
Source: After being kept as a pet for his first three years, Ya-uuk was brought to Jakarta Zoo by the owner. His best friend was Villo and they spend most of their time hanging out together. He made me chuckle as although now fully grown he still liked to suck his thumb.
Orangutan; Indonesia; Male; 7 years
Source: Zidane was confiscated from smugglers when a baby. He was in poor health on arrival at the zoo sanctuary, and afraid of everyone. He needed special care and great patience, but is now accepted into resident group of apes. He was still rather shy when I photographed him despite his large size and incredible strength.“What is it about apes? We’re obsessed with them because they reflect who we are.”
The name ‘orangutan’ translates into English as “person of the forest”. Orangutans are the gentle, quiet and solitary members of the ape family, and the only great ape species to reside outside of Africa. And they are a uniquely arboreal ape – for they live their lives quietly moving through the upper echelons of the ancient trees of the Borneo and Sumatran rainforest, only gracing the forest floor when they need to. Humans below often only see a glimpse of the flowing auburn hair that is unique to the most mysterious of the great apes.
Adult orangutans have been seen brushing their teeth whilst bathing and washing themselves. On hot days, they soak sponge-like vegetation in running water and cool their foreheads. When it rains, they break off vines and large leaves and weave them together, creating umbrellas to keep their children dry. Orangutan babies often smile at their mothers in ways unerringly familiar to newborn humans.
Orangutans may not be of this earth for long. For, throughout the 20th century, their population has been in precipitous decline. The Bornean orangutan was declared critically endangered in 2016. In less than 70 years, its population has declined by more than 80 percent as the forests in which it lives continue to be decimated by human consumption for products like palm oil. From 1999 to 2015, the orangutan population of Borneo, which dates back, it is thought, by millions of years, declined by more than 100,000 according to the journal Current Biology. On Sumatra, the only other island home to orangutans, more than half of the forest has been lost since 1985.
We would lose the most nurturing of animals. Orangutan children stay with their mothers for longer than any mammal except humans. And their mothers patiently teach them everything, without ever aggressively chiding their offspring; how to evade predators, how to behave with fellow orangutans, how to recognize and gather more than 200 food items, how to use tools in a way more advanced than any animal on planet earth, beyond us. They are the people of the forest, the mothers of the animal kingdom, perhaps the most beautiful ape of them all.
Haidar was kept as a pet with rich family in central Java, given up once family was finally persuaded of illegality and risks to health. Weak on arrival and very spoiled, eating only certain kinds of fruit, only in small amounts. When I photographed him he was much better and stronger, with good self-confidence. He pulled himself slowly up a tree with his long hair sticking up like a small windswept professor.
Haidar is the rarest orangutan in the #JAPES collection, his young eyes and long eyelashes oozing confidence, making him one of James’s favourite portraits.
10% of all net funds raised from the NFT sale will be donated to the sanctuaries who rescued the apes and invited James in with his camera.
James Mollison’s beautiful portraits of these 12 orangutans are being minted as NFTs for the first time by ART3.io as #JAPES, with 10% of net proceeds from the sale going to the ape sanctuaries in Africa who rescued these animals and invited James in with his camera.
