Ellie's Story

By Dr Andrea Permana

Today feels a little surreal.

Back in 2007, on my very first day at Suaq Balimbing in the Leuser Ecosystem, I met and named a young orangutan: Ellie.

Today, albeit with a faux name, she is featured in the new Orangutan documentary released by DisneyNature — all grown up, and a mother of two.

Seeing her story on screen is genuinely special. It’s a reminder of just how long-term and meaningful these field sites are, we don’t just study animals, we grow alongside them.

The film is beautifully made, and the crew have done an incredible job capturing the lives of these animals with care and sensitivity. It is stunning to see Ellie close up rather than through binoculars from 20+m below!

But what you don’t see on screen is what it takes to make moments like these possible.

Finding and following orangutans in a deep peat swamp forest is not easy. It means long days, extreme conditions, and yes… occasionally losing a toenail or two along the way.

More importantly, none of this work would be possible without the extraordinary local assistants and field teams who make it happen every single day. Their knowledge, resilience, and dedication are the backbone of everything we do and everything you see on screen.

Ellie’s story is just one thread in a much bigger, ongoing story of people, orangutans, forests, and conservation.

And I feel incredibly lucky to have been there at the very beginning. 🦧🌳💚