Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Watch the moment a mother orangutan reunites with her daughter after being apart for a MONTH!
Back where she belongs, high in the canopy of Gunung Tarak Protected Forest, Susi is once again FREE!
After our partners, YIARI’s monitoring team spotted a wound on Susi’s chest in December 2025, she was temporarily brought back for surgery and intensive treatment. The team suspected it was not a fresh forest injury, but a delayed complication linked to the horrific wounds she suffered years ago when she was illegally kept as a pet and chained by the neck.
Because our partners, YIARI, follow Susi so closely after release, they were able to detect the problem early. Following treatment and around a month of recovery, Susi was released back into the forest in a joint operation involving BKSDA West Kalimantan, the West Kalimantan Forestry Service, and our partners, YIARI.
At the time, Susi’s daughter Sinar remained in the forest. Born in the wild in March 2020, Sinar was already a truly wild young orangutan, so the team made the difficult decision to leave her there and monitor her every day until her mother returned. In those early days, Sinar cried out each morning, clearly missing Susi. Then, after weeks apart, they were finally reunited.
Susi’s story is a powerful reminder that the cruelty of the illegal wildlife trade does not end when an animal is rescued. The damage can resurface years later. But it is also a reminder of why long-term monitoring matters so much, and how much can be achieved when dedicated teams refuse to look away.
Watch the moment a mother orangutan reunites with her daughter after being apart for a MONTH!
Back where she belongs, high in the canopy of Gunung Tarak Protected Forest, Susi is once again FREE!
After our partners, YIARI’s monitoring team spotted a wound on Susi’s chest in December 2025, she was temporarily brought back for surgery and intensive treatment. The team suspected it was not a fresh forest injury, but a delayed complication linked to the horrific wounds she suffered years ago when she was illegally kept as a pet and chained by the neck.
Because our partners, YIARI, follow Susi so closely after release, they were able to detect the problem early. Following treatment and around a month of recovery, Susi was released back into the forest in a joint operation involving BKSDA West Kalimantan, the West Kalimantan Forestry Service, and our partners, YIARI.
At the time, Susi’s daughter Sinar remained in the forest. Born in the wild in March 2020, Sinar was already a truly wild young orangutan, so the team made the difficult decision to leave her there and monitor her every day until her mother returned. In those early days, Sinar cried out each morning, clearly missing Susi. Then, after weeks apart, they were finally reunited.
Susi’s story is a powerful reminder that the cruelty of the illegal wildlife trade does not end when an animal is rescued. The damage can resurface years later. But it is also a reminder of why long-term monitoring matters so much, and how much can be achieved when dedicated teams refuse to look away.
