Orangutan Stories: Labetty and Suwita

Forget the wet and dry seasons, for the orangutans of the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve at the moment it appears to be baby season! Following the news of Pauline and Queen both giving birth in recent weeks, we are thrilled to report two more additions to the forest from first-time mothers Labetty and Suwita.

It’s not always easy to identify a pregnant orangutan as the signs can be subtle, but in recent months our teams have been keeping a watchful eye on a handful of females who appear to have slightly enlarged bellies, genitals and appetites; one of whom has been Labetty (above).

Labetty is a wild orangutan who our team at Camp Rasak have been observing on her occasional visits since her birth in 2007. Despite her larger size in recent months however, Labetty still appears to be one of the fastest orangutans in the forest and seems to glide through the trees with speed and elegance, regardless of her pregnancy. It was predicted that Labetty would give birth in around a month’s time so it was somewhat of a surprise when she was spotted this week with her new baby, identified as a male.

It would be fair to say that Suwita (above) has also surprised our team this week. It wasn’t until relatively recently that Suwita was identified as another pregnant female, but the duration of her gestation period was unknown. With wild orangutan males Ewet and Tole also spotted from time to time at Camp Rasak, it was thought that one of these males (most likely Ewet) must have mated with her at some point, but when? It wasn’t until this week when Suwita was observed with her young infant that our team knew she must have mated around 9 months ago.

The sex of Suwita’s new baby is currently unknown but our field team and veterinary staff will continue to monitor the progress of her and Labetty in the coming months. We look forward to collecting and sharing footage of the pair caring for their new infants in the forest very soon.

Through their new infants, Suwita (left) and Labetty (right) are contributing to a more secure future for this orangutan population.

To witness four wild orangutan births within a matter of weeks is a remarkable achievement and demonstrates how settled this population of great apes is in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. For all of us at the Orangutan Foundation, this news truly feels like a fitting reward on the 30th anniversary of our conservation work, supporting these critically endangered primates and protecting their natural forest environment.

Cause for celebration! The first orangutan birth of the year

It was with great excitement and surprise that Orangutan Foundation staff recently caught a glimpse of Pauline, a wild orangutan rarely seen at Camp Gemini, proudly displaying her new two-week-old baby boy.

Our team are thrilled to welcome the first newborn orangutan of the year, and the first offspring for new mother Pauline. Her infant has been named 'Pancaran' by Ibu Siti, the local Minister of Environment and Forestry. It’s heartening that in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, orangutans have provided us with some recent good news and encouragement for the future.

Pauline is the thirteen-year-old daughter of reintroduced orangutan Paula, and spends much of her time in the forest. It’s thought that last year Pauline mated with Carlos, a wild male orangutan who is also sporadically spotted at Camp Gemini. What is just as exciting is that she may not be the only orangutan with a newborn this year, as four other females in the forest also appear to be pregnant.

Betli and Queen have extended bellies and are eating for two at Camp Buluh

Our field teams keep a close eye on all of the wild and reintroduced orangutans that visit our five forest camps in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, but are keeping particularly close tabs on Labetty and Suwita at Camp Rasak, and Queen and Betli at Camp Buluh who may all be expecting newborns soon. Hopefully providing a bumper year for orangutan births in the forest.

Despite her pregnancy, Labetty is still a speedy climber though the forest

Orangutans take many years to rear their young, which is why having observed 15 births in the past five years alone, our team are proud to see that the Reserve is clearly a habitat in which these critically endangered great apes are not only surviving but thriving. We will continue to protect this vital orangutan stronghold, and look forward to welcoming more new arrivals in the coming months.

Orangutan Stories: Adib

Adib is the youngest male orangutan among the ten orphans currently in Orangutan Foundation’s soft-release programme. Despite his young age, Adib has experienced and endured a great deal in his early life.

Once entered into the soft-release programme, Adib takes his first ever climb into the trees.

Adib was raised as a pet until he was rescued in 2017 at around one and a half years old. Orangutans of his age in the wild would be entirely reliant on their mother in order to learn necessary forest skills and receive proper nourishment. With the likelihood that his mother was killed, it was therefore vital that Adib should receive appropriate care in the Foundation’s soft-release programme and develop in a natural environment.

Adib shares his current surroundings with four other orphans at Camp JL within the protected forest of the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Indonesian Borneo. Each morning these young primates climb out of their overnight enclosures and enthusiastically swing between branches, forage for food, and practice nest-making skills around camp. With no mother to keep a watchful eye on them, it’s the role of our expert team of assistants to ensure that these orphans stay safe.

When climbing high in the canopy is involved, there is always a danger to these adventurous young orangutans and accidents can still happen, as Adib discovered himself in December 2018. As he practised his climbing by stretching between branches in the trees, Adib accidentally fell to the ground and appeared to be in some discomfort. Following emergency X-rays, our vet Dr Dimas discovered that Adib had a small fracture in his right arm and required a temporary cast in order to hold it in place.

Fortunately at such a young age Adib’s bones are able to heal more rapidly, and ten days after his accident, he was able to grip fruit and hold onto camp staff as they held him.

Despite what must have been a painful time for Adib, it hasn’t stopped him from being adventurous and active in the forest today. Now at 4 years of age, he’s beginning to master the art of climbing through the trees in search for food, but still has some time to go before he becomes an expert nest-builder.

Our team are encouraged by the progress Adib has made since his time in the Foundation’s orangutan soft-release programme and look forward to the day that he will be fully prepared for an independent future in the wild.

Orangutan Stories: Pegi

Each month we will be unveiling a story about the orangutans we care for at the Orangutan Foundation, and this month we focus on Pegi. Pegi is an adventurous young orphan who in her short time with us has transformed from a shy and nervous orangutan to one that is confident in the trees. So much so that recently Pegi evaded our team at Camp Buluh for two nights and stayed in the forest on her own for the very first time under the watchful eye of our team.

Pegi before she was rescued as a pet, and after she entered the Foundation’s soft-release programme.

Before entering our orangutan soft release programme within the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, 8-year-old Pegi was a pet. In August 2019 she was handed over to government officials and Orangutan Foundation staff having spent the previous seven years alone inside a cramped wooden cage, during which time she was never released. She was also fed on a diet consisting of rice, noodles, fruit, and sugary drinks, conditions far from acceptable for a young critically endangered primate.

Spending so many years away from a forest it might be understandable to assume that Pegi would have lost any natural impulses, but as she is proving to our team of orangutan assistants, her wild instincts are very strong and she is quickly understanding and practising the skills necessary for a life in the wild.

When Pegi first arrived at our soft-release site in the forest, she was anxious of the water around camp. Now, one of her favourite things to do is take a gulp of water and spray it into the air!

On the morning of the 26th April, Pegi was taken out of her overnight enclosure by our team as usual to allow her to climb in the trees, eat bark, and play in the water. However later that morning Pegi decided to explore a little further than normal and follow a reintroduced female orangutan named Sugih into the forest.

Our team struggled to keep an eye on Pegi as she played high in the canopy, but in the afternoon she did something to surprise everyone, she began making her own nest. This is something that Pegi has never been observed doing before at camp, and sheltering from the rains that had swept over the forest, our team where amazed to see Pegi stay in her nest and sleep in the trees alone for the first time overnight.

With Orangutan Foundation staff keeping watch from below, Pegi continued her adventure through the forest the following day. Playing in Sugih’s nest and climbing from tree to tree, Pegi was observed eating young leaves, flowers, and fruits before adding more branches to her previous nest and settling down for another night in the forest.

This independent experience for Pegi shows how much she has progressed since her arrival last summer, however there are still abilities that need to be mastered before she is fully prepared for a life in the wild. With this in mind, our team were able to climb up Pegi’s tree on the afternoon of the 28th April and transport her back to camp where she can complete her education.

Pegi certainly appears to have the instincts for a future in the forest, and we hope that by refining her skills with fellow orphaned orangutan Okto, the pair will soon be able to be released from Camp Buluh together into the protected Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.

Lamandau Wildlife Reserve welcomes new residents

Over the last few months of this year’s dry season alone, Orangutan Foundation staff have helped rescue and translocate double the number of orangutans than in the previous two years in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. One of these handovers was young female Pegi who had been kept inside a cage for the past seven years, but orangutans of course are not the only species that are kept captive illegally.

Earlier this month our teams were called upon once again to assist with wildlife translocations, but this time for different species who had been rescued by government officials or handed over as pets.

Gibbons are released into the forest and explore their new home

A couple of gibbons were the first animals to be released into the forest. Once their transportation crates were opened at Camp Buluh, the pair could be seen climbing to the very top of the canopy where they’re most at home swinging from branch to branch- that was until they were interrupted by male orangutan Yoko. Coming face-to-face with a large primate several times their size might understandably be intimidating for a gibbon new to this habitat, but following a brief pause to observe one another, the individuals soon parted ways and continued roaming through the trees.

Yoko and newly released gibbon lock eyes for a moment

Also released with this pair of apes into the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve was perhaps one of the most beautiful tropical birds found in these forests- the Rhinoceros Hornbill. These large birds are a crucial seed disperser in the forest. After feeding on fruits and berries in the canopy, they can then carry the seeds for many miles before depositing them elsewhere. Our team were elated to see an individual finally stretch it’s winds and be released back into the wild by Camp JL.

A hornbill is transported for release at its new home within the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve

Our team’s final translocation was a young female sun bear named Bella. Without its mother, a sun bear cub may find life in the forest challenging as they’re yet to learn the best methods to search and forage for food. It’s for this reason why our team at Camp Gemini have introduced Bella into a habituation enclosure where she can first become accustomed to her forest surroundings before being released.

One-year-old Bella is introduced to her new temporary home at Camp Gemini

It’s worrying to know that some individuals still see wild species as potential pets, but it is at least reassuring for us to know that the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve is a habitat that is protected and can therefore offer the possibility of a new beginning for these wildlife species, as well as orangutans.

To help protect these forests, please show your support between midday 3rd to 10th December 2019 via our Big Give appeal, which will double any donations in this time!

Mother and baby orangutan rescued and reunited

Following on from the 6 individuals who have been rescued and translocated since mid-July, Orangutan Foundation staff in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo were alerted to yet another emergency earlier this month.

Reports from BKSDA government officials suggested that an orangutan had been found by a group of villagers who had discovered the great ape when it ventured into an area of community plantations- quite possibly searching for food as a result of the remnant fires that have blotted the region in recent weeks.

On arrival, our team were able to observe that the orangutan was a female who had already been independently captured by the local people and put inside a transport crate. Explaining that this action should only be conducted by trained personnel, Orangutan Foundation staff then began their journey back to base with the orangutan in toe. However as our team were to soon find out, this was not the end to this orangutan’s story.

Shortly after the rescue our team received a worrying piece of news. It transpired that during the capture of the female orangutan, she had also been separated from a young infant that local residents wished to keep as a pet. Fortunately however, Orangutan Foundation and BKSDA officials were again on hand to rescue the orangutan baby from the community and reunite it with its mother.

Our vet was very pleased to see both orangutans in good health following medical examinations and observe the infant immediately feeding once reunited the mother. The 16-year-old female who had been given the name Kina, appeared to be very active as she breastfed Kino, her 2-month-old son.

Kina is anesthetised and undoes her medical examination

A few days after their initial rescue, our team were so relieved to see Kina and Kino immediately take to their new forest at the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve as they quickly climbed out of their transport cage into the trees. It’s always an uplifting experience for us to release orangutans back into the wild where they belong, and then for them to behave as if they’d never left.

On the other hand however, it is a concern that today we are still seeing orangutans in need of rescue, and perhaps more worryingly that some local communities remain keen on keeping these great apes as pets.

Kina and Kino race out of their transport crate into the protected Lamandau Wildlife Reserve

Caged for 7 years. Young orangutan kept as a pet is finally offered a lifeline

It’s never a phone call we wish to receive, but in the same week that our team rescued a pair of wild orangutans from an isolated oil palm plantation, we received news of another orangutan being kept as a pet also in need of rescue. The owner had contacted government officials as they could no longer care for the ape, and therefore Orangutan Foundation staff were called upon to assist.

Arriving at the property where the orangutan was being kept in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, it quickly became apparent that the individual had been kept there a very long time. Our team tentatively approached a wooden crate with litter strewn on the ground surrounding it.

The orangutan had been named Pegi by her owner. It transpired that Pegi was a female orangutan found as a 1-year-old in 2012 and incredibly had been living in her cramped wooden crate as a pet for the following 7 years on a diet of rice, noodles, fruit and sugary drinks. Certainly not a diet suitable for orangutans.

After obtaining as much information about the young orangutan as possible and informing the owner of the prohibitions around keeping wild animals’ captive, our team freed Pegi from her cage and transported her to a government facility (BKSDA) where her health could be inspected.

Fortunately under examination Pegi seemed in good health, and as her blood tests received the all-clear, she was ready to be taken to her new home at Camp Buluh in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. It’s here that she’ll join another orphaned orangutan, Okto, in our soft-release programme, with the hope of one day being released into the wild.

The early years of any orangutan’s life are the most important in order to learn how to survive in the wild. With Pegi’s traumatic start to her young life, and perhaps never even climbing a tree before, she will need encouragement to learn these skills in the best possible training ground there is- the forest.

Pegi is given some browse as a form of enrichment

Orangutan, Bumi, Rescued With Bullet Wounds

On 19^th June 2017, BKSDA informed our field staff that they had just confiscated an orangutan from people who had been keeping it as a pet in a nearby village. This orangutan was entrusted into the care of the Orangutan Foundation.

The male orangutan was named Bumi (which means Earth in English) and was estimated to be about 3 and a half years old.

Our vet checked Bumi’s health and overall condition, which proved quite difficult as he wouldn’t stay still! He was anesthetized as it was vital that he was looked over thoroughly for any injuries or illness.

During the assessment, bullets were discovered in Bumi’s body. We are uncertain of the origin of the bullets, but it is likely a result of people attempting to shoot the mother to obtain the infant.

This, tragically, is how most orangutans enter our Soft-Release Programme.

In total, 7 bullets were removed from Bumi’s body. Bumi was given health supplements, and once he’d recovered from the operation, he was ready to join our Soft-Release Programme.

Bumi was taken to Camp Rasak in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Indonesian Borneo. Here he will be cared for alongside Endut, an orangutan of a similar age also rescued from being kept as a pet last March.

Staff report that since settling in Bumi appears to have a good appetite and has already displayed nest-making skills.

Watch this clip to see Bumi showing off his skills:

Please DONATE today to support the progress of Bumi and the other orangutans currently in our Soft-Release Programme.