It is with heavy hearts that we must share the news that Mr. Bernie, the beloved orangutan who arrived under our care as an orphaned infant 15 years ago, passed away suddenly in 2025. Mr. Bernie’s loss was truly a shock and has been felt deeply by all of his caregivers, veterinary personnel, and the entire Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) family who knew Mr. Bernie and his gentle soul. Mr. Bernie succumbed to a sudden throat-pouch infection that had already affected his lungs before he presented any signs of illness.
Mr. Bernie was named in honor of a visitor who came on one of OFI’s tours, Bernd. Bernd bonded with another man on the tour named George. Ironically, infant orangutan “Mr. Bernie” (nickname for Bernd) and another orangutan infant became friends so we named that infant George Baru after George. “Mr. Bernie” and George Baru remained friends for years.
But the story doesn’t end here. Bernd never came back to Kalimantan but his wife Monika who had accompanied him on his trip came back repeatedly each summer for many years. Before she came back from Austria each year, Monika and Bernd would hold a fund-raiser. When she returned to Borneo, she donated the funds which were used to buy food, treats, and toys for all the infants in the nursery. In addition to “Mr. Bernie” himself we wish to remember the wonderful couple from Austria whose story is inseparable from his.
All orangutans undergoing rehabilitation and treatment at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) are closely monitored by caregivers and veterinarians. But orangutans, like so many other animals, are experts at hiding their vulnerabilities. This is likely an instinctual tendency adapted by many species that helps individuals avoid seeming like easy targets for predators or aggressive competitors. Mr. Bernie masked his affliction well until it was too much to hide. OCCQ veterinary staff acted quickly as soon as Mr. Bernie let on that something was wrong. Veterinarians conducted a procedure to clear his throat pouch of the infection. They discovered while Mr. Bernie was sedated that the infection had entered his lungs. Mr. Bernie was just not strong enough to fight the overwhelming infection. He passed away while coming out of anesthesia.
Mr. Bernie was adored by many and was one of the most popular individuals in OFI’s Orangutan Foster Program. As a juvenile orangutan, he was known for his gregarious, energetic, and adventurous ways. More recently, Mr. Bernie was developing an independent and calm personality that is typical of mature male orangutans. We are devastated that he did not get the chance to grow into the magnificent adult male he was surely becoming. We know that you, his foster “parents,” mourn the loss of Mr. Bernie and his promising future with us. Join us as we look back on the life of an unusually charismatic orphaned orangutan who tragically died before he had the opportunity to return to his birth right living wild in the tropical rainforest of Borneo.
When Mr. Bernie arrived at the OCCQ in 2010 he was all eyes, arms, and belly. He was just one year old and his tiny figure called out for compassion. But Mr. Bernie’s strength of spirit was far from the helpless impression he gave off at first glance. Aided by round-the-clock nurturing from OFI caregivers, Mr. Bernie’s boisterous soul blossomed. He quickly bonded with several of the other small orphans in his cohort like George Baru and Douglas Soledo. These youngsters formed a friendship gang that travelled, wrestled, climbed, fell, ran, splashed, jumped, spit, grew, and learned together.
Even as his overall size increased, Mr. Bernie’s protuberant belly and long arms continued to seem disproportionate to the rest of his body, providing a constant source of commentary and amusement for his caregivers. But Mr. Bernie’s most striking trait was always his owl-like, ocean-deep eyes. When Mr. Bernie’s wide round eyes locked with yours, it was as if he was all you could see. And if it is true – as OFI Founder and President Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has often said – that orangutans can peer into your soul, then Mr. Bernie could see the deepest. As he gazed at you, it was as though he did so with the same compassion he elicited from all humans who encountered him.
As his spindly arms grew and Mr. Bernie’s reach and strength expanded, so did his horizons. During daily outings to the OCCQ “Learning Forest,” Mr. Bernie started travelling further away from the infant/juvenile playground, often leading his friends as they all ran on hands and feet to the surrounding forest and then climbed or swung up as high as they could go. Mr. Bernie was a “carpe diem” kind of guy, and his zest for life was infectious. His long reach gave him an advantage in countless wrestling bouts up in the trees and in pools of mud on the forest floor. Mr. Bernie was never a picky eater and very early on he proved to be an adept forager willing to try just about any foods he could find in the forest. At the end of the day when it was time to return to his sleeping enclosure, Mr. Bernie’s friendly arms wrapped effortlessly around his caregivers’ shoulders as he took comfort in their protective embrace. His dexterous hands always found their way to unsuspecting pockets, hats, and backpack zippers.
Some of Mr. Bernie’s exuberance was replaced with a serene calm that poured out from his all-seeing eyes as he entered adolescence. He spent more and more time alone but kept a special bond with his long-time orangutan companion, Douglas Soledo. The two often coordinated their activities in the Learning Forest, even if they just walked silently side by side in a real testament to the depth of their bond. In the last years of his life, Mr. Bernie was finally growing into his lengthy arms and substantial belly.
Even in his younger, devil-may-care years, Mr. Bernie often took a moment during daily forest outings to sit in the canopy of the trees, gazing off into the distance. Perhaps he was admiring the rich tapestry before him or was lost in his own little world, highly attuned to each crackle and call of the forest and its inhabitants. It was easy to see he cherished his time in the forest, as we cherished our time with him. Mr. Bernie brought a smile to all those he encountered.
While we are grateful that we had the opportunity to get to know this charming and good-natured orangutan, we recognize that in a better world we would have never crossed paths with Mr. Bernie. He should have been able to live out his younger years clinging tightly to his own mother. He should have spent his days learning from his mother before striking out on his own in the great forest as a mature wild orangutan. But humans filled with either ignorance or malice stole that right from Mr. Bernie when he was much too young. Many young orangutans do not survive the trauma of losing their mothers. We rescued Mr. Bernie as a fragile, orphaned infant and did the best we could to fill his life with the love and adventure he almost lost forever. Mr. Bernie certainly did his part to make the most of the cards he was dealt.
Our work protecting, rescuing, and rehabilitating orangutans is full of joy and meaning, but also frequent heartbreak. Every year we take in many orangutans struggling with injuries, illnesses, and traumas that are hard to stomach. Tragedies such as Mr. Bernie’s unexpected death are rare, but they nearly break our spirits when they do occur. What helps us continue moving forward is the reminder of the incredible individual Mr. Bernie was, and the recognition that so many like him need our help to have a second chance at a wild life.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting Mr. Bernie all these years. You allowed us to provide him with the opportunity to live a happy and fulfilled life for 15 years at the OCCQ. Our hearts ache that he is gone, but we feel privileged that we got to know Mr. Bernie and gave him days that he otherwise would have never had.
