IMAGINARY WILDLIFE JOURNEYS…
With Rozanne

Imaginary Journey to rainforests of Borneo to see orangutans!

Rozanne takes you beyond the book and behind-the-scenes:

  • Seeing MANY infant orangutans
  • Traveling with the world’s leading primatologist on orangutans
  • Sitting next to mother/toddler orangutans eating mangos
  • Being “robbed” by mischievous toddler orangutans. Wait ‘till you hear what they take!
  • Discovering the orangutan “pecking order”—who eats first

Imaginary Safari Preparation Tips

  1. Read from book, ‘Rozanne Travels to Africa to Kiss a Giraffe’ about Rozanne as little girl and Borneo opening pages 5-11.
  2. Look at all the photos and videos here and IMAGINE yourself in Borneo with the orangutans. You are with book author Rozanne Weissman and Dr. Birute (photo below). You are safe. Bring anyone else from family or friends you’d like to bring on this wildlife journey with you. Close your eyes and IMAGINE.
  3. Pretend Pack
    • passport (draw pretend passport; just plain paper)
    • Strong mosquito repellent 
    • strong sunscreen
  4. Dress for your imaginary safari with Rozanne on FaceTime/Zoom/Skype
    • Sun hat
    • T-shirt—wild animals on it a plus

Rozanne looks forward to imaginary journey with YOU!

You’ll travel in the rainforests of Borneo, Indonesia with author Rozanne Weissman AND Dr Birute Mary Galdikas, world’s leading primatologist on orangutans. Look how that orangutan loves 💕 her...
You’ll travel in the rainforests of Borneo with World’s leading primatologist on orangutans and author Rozanne Weissman! (Photo primatologist & conservationist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas with orangutan)

Camp Leakey and OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine 

Orangutans eating mango
Imagine orangutan mother and child chomping on mangoes sitting RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. Can you hear them? See them? 
Bornean orangutan Redd is a beloved show-off toddler on the O-line at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. It’s how orangutans move from tree to tree in the rainforest—gripping hands and feet swaying branch to branch.

Subscribe FREE to Rozanne’s YouTube channel to see more wildlife videos.

(Photo and video credits: Rozanne Weissman, fellow travelers to Borneo, Orangutan Foundation International, Smithsonian National Zoo)

Orangutan fast facts

Here’s why red-haired orangutans are Rozanne’s favorite wildlife animal:

  • Observant, inquisitive, smart. Uses tools
  • Long long arms; can eat with hands or feet
  • Infant stays with mama orangutan for 7 years to learn everything to survive
  • Builds new nest every night to sleep high up in tree
  • Among closest relatives to humans—share 97% of same DNA
  • Watch them climb, swing, do somersaults in the air!!

For children 7-9

Geography
Find Borneo on a map. It’s the 3rd largest island in the world in SE Asia near the equator. There’s a 12 hour time difference from the East Coast of the US to Borneo—when it’s day in US, it’s night in Borneo. Borneo is not a country. Three countries have territory in Borneo—Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Climate
Very hot and humid all year round. Doesn’t cool off during rainy season.

Rainforest
Question: What is a tropical rainforest?
Answer: Tropical rainforests have tall trees, close together, lots of rain, and are home to many plants and animals. It’s where orangutans live in Borneo and Sumatra and eat fruit high up on top of trees. That’s called the “tree canopy.”

Question: Why is a rainforest  thousands of miles away important to US and elsewhere?
Answer: Rainforests are called “the lungs of the planet” because they absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and produce oxygen, that humans and animals need  for survival. Rainforests stabilize climate, have incredible plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet.

Question: Why are orangutans in danger of extinction (will no longer exist—like dinosaurs)?
Answer: The rainforest—home to orangutans—is being chopped down. Fires 🔥 have destroyed parts of the rainforest. There is also illegal wildlife trade. That’s why there are 300+ orphaned young orangutans at the OFI Care Center.

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