We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Pak Anton Wahyudi who died, on Saturday 21st January, as a result of a speedboat accident whilst carrying out his duties responding to reports of illegal logging inside the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Borneo.
Pak Anton was a highly respected colleague, who was head of the Indonesian Government's Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources Central Kalimantan section II (BKSDA SKW II) and he was the former Commander of the Brigade for the illegal logging Rapid Reaction Force (known as SPORC) in Sulawesi.
The response to the reported illegal logging was a joint mission between the Orangutan Foundation and BKSDA. Pak Juhri (Head of BKSDA Conservation Resort) was also in the boat but thankfully didn't sustain any major injuries and helped to rescue the other passengers. Two Orangutan Foundation staff, Pak Tigor and Arbani, were seriously injured but survived after Pak Juhri and Dr Fikri, our vet, managed to pull them out of the water, saving their lives. We wish them all a full recovery.
The Orangutan Foundation work in close collaboration with BKSDA SKW II, who are the Indonesian government authority responsible for the protection of the reserve. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Pak Anton, who leaves behind a wife and two children.
