You’re probably wondering why she was given an African name. After all, orangutans don’t live in Africa. They live in Southeast Asia. Times are extremely difficult for wild orangutans. They are being pushed to the brink
of extinction due to the rush to convert rainforest into palm oil plantations.
Their habitat is being destroyed while they’re still living in it—and with nowhere to go, orangutans will not be able to survive in the wild.
So that is why this precious little girl was given the name Kesi.

Kesi’s story is particularly brutal. She was brought to Nyaru Menteng back in September of 2004 when one of the paramedics found her during a rescue at a palm oil plantation in central Kalimantan. She was barely three months old, with her first teeth just barely coming through. When the paramedic took a closer look, he was shocked by what he saw: Her left hand was missing. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what had happened. Starving and desperate to
take care of her infant, Kesi’s mother had wandered onto the plantation in search of something to eat. In her weakened state, she was an easy target
for poachers or plantation workers, and because she had a baby that could easily be sold for a few extra dollars on the black market, there was no hesitation. She was quickly brought down— and then they went in for the
kill, finishing the job with a machete or knife. In the mad rush to kill the mother and capture the baby, one thing got in the way: Kesi’s little hand.
An infant orangutan never lets go of his or her mother. Ever. Nor will a mother ever let her infant out of her immediate reach. With a vise-like
grip, the only way to pry her loose might have been to cut her off.

This, more or less, is the tragically brutal fate of many orangutans
caught on palm oil plantations.

See Kesi And Her Friends In Action!