08/20/2026
I worked with Monkeys , Chimpanzees and Orangutans for many years. It truly was such an honor and I have a very special place in my heart for the primates I called my friends.
International Orangutan Day 🦧❤️🌿
Today, on International Orangutan Day, my heart is filled with gratitude for three very special orangutans who changed my life: Pongo, Ruby, and Julie.
For years , I had the incredible honor of being their caregiver at the sanctuary. To say that caring for them was a privilege doesn’t even begin to describe what those relationships meant to me. They weren’t simply animals I cared for—they were individuals with their own personalities, preferences, moods, intelligence, and ways of communicating. I was lucky enough to become their friend, and those memories will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Pongo had a beautiful habit of singing to me whenever he saw me. I can still remember the feeling of hearing his voice and knowing he was happy to see me.
And Ruby… oh, Ruby. One of the most precious memories I have is the day she looked at me and signed “I love you” completely on her own, without me asking her to. That moment is something I will carry in my heart forever.
Julie always was thinking and she loved her toys and covering up with blankets. I love the memory of giving her and her sister bubble pools and kiddie pools with dirt and watching them play just like a kids would. I also loved giving them wrapped presents and watching them unwrap and play with an enrichment gift.
So much of my time with them over the years was spent trying to make their world a little more interesting and enriching. I loved upgrading their enclosures with new structures, toys, and climbing opportunities. I loved creating enrichment items for them and bringing in local artists to paint murals inside their homes to give them new things to look at and explore.
We played together. We blew bubbles. I sat and just talked to them and loving would call them my Ape kids lol. They loved looking through magazines. I would choose movies for them to watch and knew their favorite movies . I loved reading children's books to them, and show them the pictures. I always laughed watching Ruby and Julie brush their hair with the hairbrushes I bought for them and they even brush their teeth too. It was and will always be one of the greatest honors to have cared for them. . They could be remarkably human-like in those little everyday moments. I loved telling people their stories and how they understood everything we said and if being stubborn that day how they acted as though they didn't understand English knowing full well they did hahaha.
One of my absolute favorite activities was painting with them. I loved watching them choose the colors they wanted and seeing what they decided to do with the canvas. There was something incredibly special about giving them the freedom to create and watching their personalities come through in their artwork.
And perhaps the most amazing part of all of this is that I had dreamed about it since I was a little girl.
When I was young, I dreamed that someday I would grow up and work with orangutans.
Somehow, that little girl’s dream came true.
I got to stand beside these magnificent great apes, care for them, learn from them, play with them, advocate for them, and experience friendships that I never could have imagined as a child. I will forever be proud of the work I was able to do for Pongo, Ruby, and Julie, and incredibly grateful that life gave me the opportunity to fulfill that childhood dream.
Today is a celebration of these magnificent “people of the forest,” but it is also an important reminder of what is at stake. Orangutans are critically endangered, and their future depends on our willingness to protect them, their families, and the forests they call home.
I may no longer be their caregiver, but the love I have for orangutans hasn’t gone anywhere.
I will always advocate for them. I will always cherish the memories they gave me. And I will always be grateful that, for a little while, I got to be part of their world and their friend.
Happy International Orangutan Day, Pongo, Ruby, Julie, and every orangutan—both those living in sanctuaries and those still living wild in the forests.
May we never stop fighting for a future where they are not simply surviving, but thriving. ❤️🌿🦧
Some dreams really do come true. And sometimes, they have orange hair and the most incredible souls.
