International Primate Day: A Story of Connection and Compassion
Monday 1 September, 2025 – On International Primate Day, celebrated on September 1, 2025, International Animal Rescue shared a heartwarming story that highlights the profound bond between humans and primates. According to the rescue organization, orangutans share approximately 98% of our DNA, showcasing a strong connection that transcends species and speaks to our shared emotions, intelligence, and capacity for love.
For Dr. Karmele Llano Sánchez, this connection became painfully real in 2009 when she met JoJo, an orangutan chained in a backyard in West Kalimantan. JoJo was malnourished, crippled by rickets, and fighting pneumonia, living in a world that was just 30 centimeters wide.
“It was one of the hardest days of my life,” recalled Dr. Sánchez, CEO of YIARI. “All I could do was clean his wounds and move the chain to his other leg, because at that time, there was no orangutan rescue facility in West Kalimantan. I had to leave JoJo there because we had no other choice. That moment changed everything.”
This encounter sparked a chain of compassion that has since saved hundreds of orangutans. Determined to prevent any other primate from suffering like JoJo, Dr. Sánchez and her team founded the West Kalimantan Orangutan Rescue Centre in 2010, in partnership with YIARI, the West Kalimantan BKSDA, and with support from International Animal Rescue UK.
Today, JoJo is over 25 years old and is finally able to experience the forest once again. Thanks to a newly built two-hectare forest enclosure for orangutans with lifelong injuries or health problems, JoJo can now climb trees, breathe in the forest air, and live with dignity and freedom.
While he may never be able to return to the wild, JoJo’s journey from being chained to the canopy has inspired a movement that has rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of orangutans, many of whom have been successfully released back into the wild.
Why Does Primate Day Matter?
According to International Animal Rescue, orangutans are critically endangered, with 60% of the world’s primate species facing extinction. Additionally, 75% of primate species are already in decline, largely due to habitat destruction, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. These animals play a crucial role in tropical ecosystems, aiding in seed dispersal and forest regeneration. Without them, the future of our forests and our planet is at risk.
JoJo’s story is a testament to the fact that one connection, one act of compassion, can change the future not only for one life, but for hundreds more. On this Primate Day, International Animal Rescue urges people to stand with JoJo and adopt an orangutan to fund their care and protect their forests.
In the words of Dr. Sánchez, “98% of our DNA may be the same, but 100% of their survival depends on us.” Join the movement and make a difference this Primate Day.
