We need to raise €4250 to help 14 rescued macaques to return to the wild!

More than a year ago, 30 long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) arrived at Cikananga Wildlife Center in West Java, Indonesia, after being rescued from extremely poor conditions. Many had spent years isolated, confined to small, barren cages or kept on chains, with little opportunity to move freely, socialise, or express their natural behaviours.

Their suffering was heartbreaking. Medical examinations revealed that many were underweight, suffered from dental or eye problems, or had deep wounds around their necks and abdomens caused by chains. X-rays even revealed air-rifle pellets embedded in some of the macaques.

Their rescue was just the beginning of a long journey towards a better life.

Please support the Macaques today, if you want to learn more about the backgrounds and the project, please see below.

A second chance at life

At Cikananga, the macaques received medical care and time to recover. Once they had completed their health checks and quarantine time, the team gradually introduced them to other macaques, allowing social groups to develop at their own pace.

Rehabilitation is about much more than recovering physically. Macaques who have spent years in isolation need to relearn how to interact with their own kind, develop stable social relationships, and regain the physical and behavioural skills they need to survive in the wild.

Today, the progress is encouraging. The first group of 14 macaques have developed into a well-bonded social group. They groom one another, the younger individuals play together, and their relationships and natural behaviours are closely monitored by the Cikananga team.

Now, their next chapter begins

At the end of October 2026, we plan to release these first 14 macaques back into the wild.

Working together with the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) and Indonesian forestry authorities, Cikananga is preparing for their return to a suitable natural environment on a island with no human disturbance.

Before being released, the macaques will spend time at the release site in a pre-release enclosure. This will allow them to become familiar with their new surroundings. After release, a field team will continue to monitor them as they adapt to life in the wild.

But we need your help to make this happen.

Help us raise €4250 for their release

Returning rescued macaques to the wild requires careful preparation, transportation, equipment, and a dedicated team on the ground. We need to raise approximately €4250 to cover the essential costs of releasing these 14 macaques, including:

• Transportation to the release site: Car, fuel, and boat transport for the macaques and the team.

• Pre-release preparation and care: Transport boxes, a last veterinary health checks, and the costs of food, care, and the habituation period at the release site.

• Release operations: Transport, supplies, and the practical arrangements needed to carry out the release safely.

• Post-release monitoring: Transport, logistics, and field-team expenses to follow the macaques after they return to the wild.

Please support us, Every donation brings us closer to reaching our goal.

Be part of their journey to freedom

For these 14 macaques, this release represents far more than a journey to a new location. It is the opportunity to leave a life of confinement behind and return to an environment where they can move freely and express their natural behaviours and just be monkeys again.

Help us to give 14 macaques a second chance.

Donate today and be part of their journey from rescue to release.

Would you like to do more for macaques?

The release of these 14 macaques is an very important milestone, but our work does not stop here. Cikananga wildlife Center, currently care for 46 macaques: 38 long-tailed macaques, 5 pig-tailed macaques, and 3 Heck’s macaques. Some are still recovering and learning the natural behaviours they need for a potential return to the wild, while others have only recently been rescued and have a long recovery journey ahead of them. For now, they are safe at Cikananga, where they receive the care and support they need.

We are always in need of support to provide daily care and rehabilitation for these macaques. You can make a difference by symbolically adopting a macaque or making a donation towards their care. Your contribution helps provide essential food, veterinary care, enrichment, and a safe environment for the macaques in our care.

And hopefully, in the near future, more of these macaques will have the opportunity to return to the wild, just like the 14 macaques we are going to release now.

Every contribution helps us give rescued macaques a better life and brings hope for a future where more of them can return to the wild.

For more information about our work:

Check the Wanicare Website

Check the Cikananga Wildlife Center website

Two of the macaques that will be released are Ginny & Gregory, follow their story in the link below:

Macaques Ginny & Gregory follow their story