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South Africa (12 April 2025)<\/em> – Every so often, a story resurfaces on social media that stops you in your tracks. This week, that story is about Opal the orangutan.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve seen the post about the orangutan<\/a> kept in solitary confinement at a zoo outside Pietermaritzburg, you\u2019re not alone. The heartbreaking words are being widely shared once more. Many think it\u2019s new. Many are reacting with fresh horror. But here\u2019s the thing… it was first published nine years ago.<\/p>\n And while that fact might feel like a punch to the gut, there is good news here.<\/p>\n Opal\u2019s story has not disappeared into the void. It\u2019s endured. It\u2019s echoed. And it\u2019s been seen by millions. Since it was first published in 2016 by the Kloof and Highway SPCA<\/a>, it\u2019s been featured by major news outlets across South Africa, including eNCA<\/a>, News24<\/a>, The Citizen<\/a> and The Witness<\/a>. It\u2019s crossed timelines, platforms, and even borders… moving more people each year to ask how something like this could possibly still be happening.<\/p>\n Below is a video from a protest in 2021.<\/p>\n