Orangutan rehabilitation programs rescue orphaned and confiscated individuals and prepare them for release. The welfare of individual animals throughout this process is critical.
Orphaned infant orangutans suffer profound psychological trauma from maternal loss and require intensive surrogate care to develop normally. The rehabilitation period is long and welfare-intensive requiring skilled staff and appropriate facilities. Release to the wild represents welfare success for rehabilitated individuals but carries risks that require careful site selection and post-release support. The best welfare outcome is wild survival in protected habitat.