Camp Leakey is located in
Kalimantan, Borneo and was founded by the Canadian
primatologist,
Biruté Galdikas in 1971 in order to study the reclusive
orangutans native to the region. The camp is named for her well known backer and mentor,
Louis Leakey. Galdikas is known as one of three pioneering primate researchers funded by Leakey and nicknamed '
Leakey's Angels'. The other two were
Dian Fossey, who studied mountain
gorillas in
Rwanda before her murder and was the subject of the film "
Gorillas in the Mist", and
Jane Goodall who studied
chimpanzees in
Tanzania.
Upon her arrival in Kalimantan, Galdikas began the camp with a small number of huts clustered in the
rainforest. Over the past 31 years she has taken what once was a temporary outpost and turned it into an established
field station with the assistance of local authorities. Years later she would aid in the inception of the
Tanjung Puting National Park which is one of the largest National Parks in
South East Asia and where Camp Leakey resides.
Today, Camp Leakey remains an active field station where Galdikas spends a good portion of her time. In addition to her research, she frequently lectures at universities and in 1995 her first book about her experiences, "
Reflections of Eden" was published. Galdikas is also the President of the
Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) which she founded in 1986 whose purpose is to protect and preserve not only the apes, but the rainforests they inhabit as well.
It is possible to visit Camp Leakey as a
tourist, although reservations are a must and the camp is only accessible by boat. There you will be able to go on a guided
trek through the rainforest in search of wild orangutans and bear witness to feeding time for the 'regulars' at the camp. Should you be fortunate enough to make the trip, be on the lookout for David and Davida, two of the more personable subjects in Galdikas' study, who are rumored to greet visitors at the dock upon arrival.