Orang-utans are often smuggled from Indonesia's forests. They are transported through Hong Kong onto the mainland to serve as pets or exotic food. Their habitat has also dwindled so there are fewer apes in the wild than ever before.
Last month, 16 Island School students volunteered to help rehabilitate some confiscated animals at Tasikoki Animal Rescue Centre in North Sulawesi.
Staff at the animal sanctuary look after orang-utans, sun bears, leopards, turtles and other wildlife recovered from poachers. Several are released back into the wild.
The Hong Kong students helped feed the animals at 6am. They cleaned cages and scrubbed floors.
'At Tasikoki, the animals always come first,' says Jessica Tham, a Year 11 student. 'We had to make sure they were well-fed before we could have our own breakfast.'
The team spent afternoons making enrichment toys for animals.