Trapped Wildlife

Releasing caged wildlife is rarely anyone’s idea of fun. Panic-stricken animals tend to lash out and they don’t have claws, teeth and talons for nothing. Which is why, yesterday, finding an eagle, a snake and two macaques caught in fish traps provided a challenging finish to the day. As always, I must apologise for the photos; but this time we did have a good excuse; we were all a bit too busy to take photos. So, thank you Rene (a peat forest researcher) for taking the ones below. The fish traps were made of a wooden frame wrapped in netting with an inverted slit through which fish can enter but can not escape. Because the water level in the Mangkung River, the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, has dropped so much the traps were exposed and the fish inside had obviously tempted the monkeys and the crested-serpent eagle in for an easy meal. Certainly, I have never seen animals caught in them before.

Jak, the Lamandau Patrol Manager and I tackled the eagle first, only to find there was a small python in the trap as well. I was certain that as we cut away the netting the eagle would either peck or slash with its talons, which were wrapped in the netting. Amazingly, once the roof was cut away the bird freed its feet and flew out right in front of our faces, without scratching either of us.

Crested serpent-eagle caught in a fish trap (photo by Rene Dommain).

The python was half way through the netting but having gorged on the trapped fish had a bulge three quarters of the way down its body, which would not fit through the mesh. Jak was all for leaving it and I have to say as its head twisted around I thought he had a point. However, as it was, the snake would be a sitting target for the next eagle to come along. So trying to keep the sharp edge away from its skin, I slid my knife in between the snake and the netting and cut it free. Great, we were now in the water with a python and neither of us wanted to think about crocodiles!

Juvenile macaque caught in a fish trap - once freed he swam away (photo by Rene Dommain).

The macaques were about 100m downstream. In one trap there was a juvenile and on the opposite riverbank, an adult female, thrashing around madly. We were able to free the youngster and I swam over to cut out the female. Again, having some experience of macaques, I thought as soon as the top was open she would come flying out and bite. My dulcet tones did nothing to calm her and, as I cut away each side, she would retreat into the opposite corner ensuring she was always under netting until the whole top was cut off. Only then did she come out.

It was obviously our lucky day for instead of flying out as predicted she actually dove down and swam away under the water. We saw her pop up and climb out, maybe, 15m away.

Four animals released without injury to either them or us. Not bad. Then I scrapped all the skin off my shin climbing back into the boat!

Nancy M., thank you very much for your donation of $50, that you made at the end of April, your support is much appreciated.

"We are participating in WildlifeDirect's business strategy. Please help us by taking this user survey, thank you"

Feeding orangutans - a new approach

“Why do you do it like that?” “That’s the way it has always been done.”

One of the standards in orangutan rehabilitation is released orangutans are fed on a platform.

Photos showing the feeding platforms that have always been used.

Everyone does it; as do we. But then we got to thinking there has to be a better way. Wild orangutans, especially in Borneo, rarely if ever, feed in groups. So why should ex-captives?

Without the platform though, how do you feed them? By hand is not an option. So we thought “put a bucket on a tree”. No, the orangutans will destroy a bucket in seconds. OK, use a cooking pot. Imagine the noise they would make banging that around, plus they will rip it off the tree! Alright then, use an inside out car tyre as a bucket. Fine, but how are you going to attach it; we don’t want to bore into the tree? Here’s an idea, when you cut off the side walls to invert the tyre, use the off-cuts as straps to hold the tyre against the tree.

Old tyres- they have many uses, if not for fire beaters then as a feeding bucket

So we’re settled: the food goes in the car tyre strapped to the tree. But how do you give them their milk (which many love more than fruit)? Cups – they’ll break, be lost and will become litter. Water bottles – even worse. Let’s try coconuts. Cut the top off, pour the milk in, put the coconut in the tyre; if the orangutans drop it, it will be easy to find and even if we don’t it is hardly litter.

All good then - let’s try it.

Its a good job our assistants are tree climbers too!

The feeding system has been running in Camp Siswoyo for a month now. It is not perfect. More than one orangutan may descend on each tyre. Some still walk on the ground between the feeding trees. We are buying an awful lot of coconuts – the orangutans drink the milk then eat the nut! It is more work on the staff and they have to be quick to get the food out.

But is it better than the platforms? Oh yes. You can ensure a fairer distribution of food. It lessens competition, facilitates giving medication when necessary and it keeps the orangutans feeding in the trees.

The system needs to be tweaked, but as a first attempt at a new idea we are all delighted with the result. And here’s where I have to add a thank you not only to Tigor and his staff for their enthusiasm to give it a go, but also to Jodie and Peter: the endless night’s talking about how we could make individual feedings work were worth it!

"We are participating in WildlifeDirect's business strategy. Please help us by taking this user survey,

thank you"

The Gibbon’s Gone

I felt really good about what we achieved today. Early, last week, an agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis) was delivered to the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine (OCCQ).

The gibbon

The story went he did not “belong” to the man who brought him to the Centre. Rather the man had caught the gibbon after it had escaped from a neighbour’s house. Maybe, maybe not. However, at least the man was giving the gibbon up so we could not be too angry. But, with over three hundred orangutans in captivity, plus a sun bear, we really don’t need another mouth to feed.

As gibbons should be!

Especially not a gibbon. They are fascinating creatures but require specialist management. Gibbons mate for life and fiercely defend their territories. They swing through trees with amazing ease but that does mean their enclosures should ideally be very high and long so they have room to move. None of this suits the set up at the OCCQ.

So we called up Kalaweit, a gibbon rehabilitation project near the provincial capital, Palangka Raya (www.kalaweitfm.com/kalaweituk.htm) . They would happily take our new arrival. The Head of the local Forestry Department’s Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources, under whose jurisdiction we operate, offered the loan of his vehicle and prepared the necessary paper work. This morning, the gibbon set off to begin what will hopefully be the final stage in his journey from captivity to the forest.

Hopefully the final stage in this gibbon's journey back to wild.

It will cost us $150 in fuel, a night’s hotel accommodation for the drivers, and a donation towards the gibbon’s necessary medical checks. In return we have supported the Forestry Department in achieving their mission, maintained positive cooperation with another wildlife NGO and, most importantly, done the right thing.

Gibbons don’t belong in cages. We can not set him free but Kalaweit can.

"We are participating in WildlifeDirect's business strategy. Please help us by taking this user survey, thank you"

Palm oil, People, Bears and Banteng!

Dear All A few quick replies before the weekend to comments received during the week.

Firstly, the thorny issue of “sustainable palm oil”. Cathy, at the Foundation office in London writes:

“So far there is no sustainable palm oil from Indonesia or Malaysia. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has said they hope to have some sustainable palm oil on the market at the end of this year. As far as we are aware most products that are "palm oil safe" or "Orangutan Friendly" are products that actively avoid palm oil. For example, the companies Paterson Arran and Little Satsuma, both supporters of the Foundation, avoid or have stopped using palm oil because of its associated problems. They are not products that “contain sustainable palm oil’, rather they are palm-oil free. However, there is palm oil that has been certified organic and is apparently grown in a sustainable way from Columbia.

It is probably worth asking companies, that declare their palm oil is sustainable or "Orangutan Safe", where it is sourced.”

Chris asked about the attitudes of local people. It is a huge question that most conservation organisations must deal with. What is clear, in order to be successful, you have to have the local people on your side. The reality is people will generally be motivated by self-interest. Employment is one way of marrying our and local people’s interests and has the added benefit of, over time, generating a heartfelt commitment to conservation. Many, if not all, of our staff have internalised respect for the forest and being “Orangutan Foundation” is part of their identity.

Mutual attachment!

It also has a trickle-down effect that spreads to their families and outwards to the communities in which they live. It is much harder for someone to take up illegal logging when they know their next-door neighbour will be out patrolling against them. In my blog I have also mentioned our programmes in Lamandau and Belantikan. Here we are actively working alongside local village communities to create and generate alternative and sustainable ways of earning an income from the forests.

You were all way too kind about my sun bear photos. Have you seen on Wildlife Direct there is actually a new blog about sun bears http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org/ This group is based in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Also in the week there were a few comments about Banteng. One of the little known facts about Banteng is that the largest population anywhere in the world is in Northern Australia, where they were introduced over a hundred and fifty years ago.

Lastly, thank you very much to the person who made an anonymous donation last week – your support of our work is much appreciated.

Have a good weekend.

Morning at the Orangutan Care Centre

As promised, I went to the Care Centre this morning to check on progress with the cage repairs. As requested, I also gave Montana “a nod”, as well as a bunch of flowers which he devoured. To be honest, I think he was more interested in watching the workman than in eating. His neighbours, however, were watching the flowers greedily.

Montana

Montana's neighbours

Thank you so much for everyone who donated to the repairs. The welding has been completed. The metal work is now being painted with rust proof paint which will then be covered with the standard green paint used at the Care Centre.

Sleeping shelves and tyres will then be fitted. After which, all that remains to happen is to fill it with orangutans. And that should not be difficult. The escapees are crowded into one cage just down the line from Montana. We are hoping that once their enclosure is fixed, we’ll be able to repair the one they are now in.

The Escapees

It was good being at the Care Centre in the morning, as I could see the orangutans being taken out for their day’s exercise in the forest. As always, it was amazing to watch Mr. Laju, one of our blind assistants, leading the orangutans out. Mr Laju went blind later in life but he can still follow the forest paths and board walks into the surrounding forest, and when I say board walk I mean a single plank pathway!

Mr Laju

The other incredible thing is the orangutans never mess him around. If you and I tried to take them out, I guarantee they would be scrambling up the surrounding bushes, dashing off here and there. Mr Laju does ties a piece of string around their arms but that can’t be the secret. Any self respecting orangutan could pull away from that, if they wanted to. Clearly, they don’t.

Also at the Care Centre at the moment is a female sun bear. I did take a couple of photos but, even by my low standards, they were only fit for the recycle bin! Of course, I have excuses: the bear’s enclosure is very dark; it would not stop moving around; there are too many branches in the enclosure - that's my excuse.

Sunbear

There is also a gibbon newly arrived at the Centre which we’ll arrange to have sent to Kalaweit, a specialist gibbon rehabilitation centre, in the next few days. We have our hands full with orangutans, without adding gibbons into the mix.

Again, many thanks.

Endangered Species Confirmed!

Very exciting news just in from our partner organistation, Yayorin about banteng (wild cattle) being found in Belantikan. Please see the press release below. How the banteng were found also highlights the work needed to be done to save this species. This news comes just after my last few posts about orangutans and is another example of why protecting orangutan habitat is important to all biodiversity, especially those that are threatened. PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Endangered Animals found in Central Kalimantan

Biodiversity research in the Belantikan Hulu ecosystem of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) was started in 2003 by Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia). Other than a large population of orangutan, the research also gathered some information on the existence of the endangered banteng or wild cattle (Bos javanicus) from the local people who live in the research area. This information was valuable because it is believed that banteng distribution in Kalimantan is becoming more and more limited and largely unknown.

Banteng confirmed in Belantikan

In 2005, Yayorin conducted further research and was able to gather more information and data. According to the local people, banteng were often seen in sopanan or saltlick areas, saltwater sources where animals go to drink and to get the mineral they need. Although the team found their tracks and faeces many times in these saltlick areas, they were not completely convinced of these findings because it was possible that they belonged to cows that were common in Belantikan.

On November 20th, 2007, Yayorin team conducted yet another survey on Bukit Durian area of Kahingai Village. There they encountered a surprising find: two well-preserved banteng tracks; one was about 12 cm x 11,5 cm and another one was about 14 cm x 13 cm. According to their sizes, it was believed that those tracks belonged to one male and one female banteng. In addition, the tracks were also found in a habitat dominated by bamboo trees.

On April 11th, 2008, two local people went hunting using dogs and spears. On their way, their dogs found two banteng (mother and child). They then killed the mother using spears, while captured the baby and took it to the village. The location where these banteng were captured was around Tungkapan River, Belantikan Raya District, Lamandau Regency. Moreover, according to some local people who go into the forest to hunt pigs, they also encountered more than ten bantengs between January and February 2008.

All stakeholders need give their serious attention to this matter and do concrete actions to preserve the existence of these endangered banteng in Belantikan area. The last thing we all want to happen is to see these wonderful and beautiful animals extinct in the wild.

FACTS ABOUT BANTENG (bos javanicus)

Status: Endangered

Population: 3,000 – 5,000

Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam,Kamboja, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia (Java, Bali, Kalimantan)

Threats: Hunting and habitat loss and/or degradation (agriculture, plantation, forestry, housing)

For more information:

Togu Simorangkir – Chairman of Yayorin Email: togu@yayorin.org

Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia) Jl. Bhayangkara Km.1 Pangkalan Bun, 74112 Kalimantan Tengah Telp. (0532) 29057 Fax (0532) 29081 Email: info@yayorin.org Website: www.yayorin.org

Palm Oil - what’s the cost?

Nancy, Cathy and Theresa, thank you very much for your donations. So far on Wildlife Direct when we have asked for your support we have always received a positive response. This is really, really appreciated. The rebuild of the “escapees'” enclosure is progressing well with one whole side already chopped away (of course, I forgot to take my camera some photos soon I promise). Brigitta delighted to know everything is all set for your trip. I will actually be in Tanjung Puting on the 9th so it is probably best if we make a date for the 10th. If you tell your boat driver to stop at Pondok Ambung I’ll meet you there. If for any reason, I have had to go on ahead to Camp Leakey just ask around and someone will point me out. I quite like the idea of videoed questions and videoed answers. I hope it works!

Now onto more serious matters, I am surprised my last post, ‘Small feel of freedom’, was considered light-hearted. I admit the story of a bunch of adolescent orangutans running amok makes me smile, but the story of yet another orphan breaks my heart. And it breaks my heart that he came from a village we know, but outside of our project area. Why can’t we work everywhere?

Late last night, Bhayu (Foundation’s Project Co-ordinator) and Teguh (The Guard Post Supervisor) got back from a trip to the Buluh Kecil and Buluh Besar Rivers in Tanjung Puting National Park, where they had accompanied a German scientist interested in studying TPNP’s peat forests. In one stretch of river, heading upstream from the Buluh Kecil post, they saw a phenomenal 26 wild orangutans.

You can just make out an orangutan in the middle of the trees.

Admittedly, ketiau trees were in fruit, which had drawn the wildlife in, but still that number of orangutans in a journey of, at most, 10km is extraordinary. Two cheek padded males were happily eating less than 200m apart. Clearly, not a lot of competition there. Next, on the Buluh Besar River, our guys encountered a huge colony of fruit bats or flying foxes (Pteropus vampyrus). Flying foxes have a wingspan of up to 1.5m (4’) and have been described as “resembling a small eagle in flight.” According to Bhayu, this colony (or camp as they are technically called) numbered well into the 1,000’s yet elsewhere in Central Kalimantan they are, or already have been, hunted to virtual extinction.

Today, I was told a story by an old friend and colleague, Fajar who does most of his work on the east side of Tanjung Puting. We are helping his team build a guard post there or, more accurately, relocate a guard post because the current site is about to be converted to a palm oil plantation. Fajar and his team were looking for a site for the new post. They went up the Baung River on day one and came back three days later. On the way up, they passed a stand of trees with long-tailed macaques and birds in it. When they came back, all the trees were gone.

Deforestation happens that quickly. And it is very, very real.

Fajar taking GPS reading of an oil palm plantation's boundary.

The photo shows Fajar taking a GPS reading in front of one of the plantation’s approved markers. It is a line of trees, like the one in the background, which has now been flattened. If you look at the map (sorry it is in Indonesian) you can see Pos Baung, the post we want to move and why. Amazingly, the company (P.T.) KUCC has already exceeded its designated area, planting out in P.T. Giat’s concession.

That is a border conflict that we find amusing, but cynical me thinks it will turn out that P.T. KUCC and PT Giat will have the same holding company which means it will make no difference to anyone at the end of the day. It certainly won’t change the fact that the forest, and its wildlife, will be gone.

On the news I heard an announcement that Unilever has promised to only use “sustainable palm-oil” by the year’s end, despite their being no suitable palm oil yet on the market. Greenpeace replied “good, but what is needed immediately is a moratorium of forest clearance”. I am pleased with Unilever’s announcement – they do have the clout to drive change (and it's consumers who have brought this about), but I agree with Greenpeace. This forest clearance has to stop.

Read about Unilever's announcement in the Jakarta Post

Small feel of freedom

I had a great weekend but the home-coming was a little rough. As we have said, the orangutans at the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine (OCCQ) are let out to play and learn in the forest. That is good. When the orangutans let themselves out, that's a problem! On Monday eight of the little, "less-than-adorable" orange bundles of mischief took it upon themselves to demonstrate just how rusty their enclosure had become. They popped out its side. Three were obviously a bit shocked at their new found freedom and contented themselves climbing up the outside. One went straight for the food room while the others dispersed themselves around the adjacent cages and our guess is they wanted to find the girls.

All of which would be an amusing anecdote if weren’t for the fact that their enclosure really is beyond repair. For a long time we have actually being patching up earlier repairs but that is getting ridiculous. It is time for a rebuild. And, as the staff are quick to point out, there is another cage in almost the same state.

Photo of the enclosure (middle one) that has now broken.

I am writing in the hope you will consider donating towards the cost of the repairs. A rebuild will cost 13,000,000 Rupiah (approximately $1,410/£714 each). The Foundation has found the money for the first - just so we can minimise the over-crowding that would be caused by moving the eight escapees to other already occupied spaces. At this stage, we have no budget allocation for the extra repairs. We are hoping to raise $3000. This will cover the cage repairs and money remaining from your donations will go towards building temporary holding cages in Lamandau, our orangutan release site. Your support, helping us to reach this target, will be most appreciated.

To put the “happy” story of the breakout into context, that same afternoon we received a tiny infant orangutan, probably around 9 months old. It is rumoured that his mother had been shot and eaten (a practice still carried out by some remote Dayak tribes), he was being kept tied up in a house. The village he came from is at the very southern edge of the Belantikan region but is in the same logging concession in which the Foundation/Yayorin's, Belantikan Conservation Programme (BCP), work. The orphan was found by a couple of logging operation supervisors who took him from the house and gave him to Iman, head of the BCP team. Iman immediately set off on the seven hour drive back to the OCCQ.

I am sorry I did not have my camera with me on Monday - this is an orphan we received sometime ago called Abraham. Helpless doesn't quite capture it, does it?

That orphan will almost certainly have to remain in captivity for four years. And he is only one of the thirty or more orphans we are likely to receive this year. I think there is no better testament to the work of Mr Sehat, Dr Popo and all the other staff at the OCCQ that they can nurture tiny, helpless, traumatized orphans into the boisterous youngsters who then break out. The number of orphans we take in and the length of time rehabilitation takes also explain the wear and tear on the cages.

A final word, to end on a positive note, what made my weekend so good: I went to Camp Leakey, the old orangutan release site. Seeing the orangutans which have been successfully rehabilitated, climbing free in the trees (see photos below) reminds you that there can be a happy outcome to such tragic beginnings.

Apologies for my awful photography.

Volunteering

Stephen has been in Tanjung Puting National Park over the weekend visiting Pondok Ambung Research Station and Camp Leakey so we can look forward to hearing some interesting stories on his return! I have been reading through the past comments and noticed there are a few about volunteering or working with orangutans that haven't had a response. The Orangutan Foundation run a Volunteer Programme which is based in and around TPNP and the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve - click on the the Volunteer Programme category to read about it in this blog. Anyone interested in volunteering or supporting our work by joining one of the trips (Study Tours, Photographic Trip) that the Foundation runs should visit our website (link on the sidebar) or contact the UK office (info@orangutan.org.uk).

On behalf of the UK office thank you for your interest and support,

Cathy

Orangutan Foundation

Part 3: Protectors of the rainforest ecosystem

In my last few posts I have been explaining about orangutans and why they are dependent on the forests for their survival. However, the forests also need orangutans. I have mentioned that orangutans are primarily frugivorous and that they are experts at moving through the forest canopy. The combination of these factors makes the orangutan an excellent seed disperser. Also, because of their large size, orangutans are able to eat bigger-seeded fruit which other species in their ecosystem aren’t able to. Orangutans thus play a crucial role in propagating fruit trees.

As orangutans move through the canopy they will inevitably bend or break branches, opening up the forest canopy. This allows light to reach the forest floor thus helping seedlings to grow and the forest regenerate. Truly, orangutans are a vital cog in the working of the rainforest ecosystem.

The rainforest floor - seedlings compete for light and space

The interdependence between orangutans and the forest has huge implications for conservation. I think I have written before that Indonesia has the world's highest deforestation rate; it also has the world's highest number of threatened mammal species (146 species); is number two in the world for threatened bird species and remains high up there for the remaining taxonomic groups. To save the orangutan, you have to save the forest and when you save the forest you save everything else. (For better or worse, that includes spiders!)

An example closer to my heart is the proboscis monkey, which is only found on Borneo. Tanjung Puting National Park has one of the largest remaining populations. Why? Because of our orangutan conservation work. As an aside, proboscis monkeys are fascinating in their own right. The males have a spectacular nose! (see photo)

Photo by Dr Mark Fellows - Male proboscis monkey (sorry the photo is so small)

Another special thing about the proboscis monkey is that they swim, a rare behaviour amongst primates. Proboscis monkeys actually have slightly webbed hands and feet and are able to swim underwater for about 20 metres.

Proboscis monkey swimming

Similarly, a study of the critically endangered Malaysian False Gharial, a type of crocodile, concluded “High observational records of Tomistoma at the main study site may represent the most viable and stable Tomistoma population of the entire National Park due to the conservation efforts of the Orangutan Foundation”.

False Gharial

There is a lot I haven’t mentioned and I could go on but I don’t want this to turn into a textbook. I find the science of conservation fascinating; indeed the Foundation always argues conservation has to be based on sound science. But, as the saying goes, science only informs. It is passion that persuades.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Part 2 (continued) - A Vulnerable Species

Thank you very much for your continued positive comments on the last couple of posts. I am so glad you find them interesting. There are a few things I didn't mention, such as how long an infant stays with its mother – whoops! Theresa is quite correct; a young orangutan will stay with his or her mother for up to eight years. Their pregnancy lasts eight months which is close to humans. The new born is carried everywhere for the first year and even in the second year won’t normally stray much further away than an arm’s reach. As they grow from infancy and become juveniles, the young orangutan will move around on their own more (though still not too far from their mother!) and will only be carried occasionally. Juveniles will continue to share their mother’s nests until she gives birth again – normally six or seven years after the last birth. Sometime after that the juvenile will start to become more and more independent at which point we consider them adolescents.

The orangutan's diet is predominately frugivorous (fruit-eating) with Bornean orangutans being more adaptable than the Sumatran species. Bornean orangutans can adjust their eating habits and in times of fruit scarcity, they will eat lower quality food such as bark, leaves and termites. Although they have been recorded eating meat it is clearly a very rare occurrence. I have seen them gorge themselves on caterpillars but never meat. In total, scientists have documented over 500 food types of orangutans diet.

So orangutans can have a broad diet but they breed slowly and have highly specialised habitat requirements. When judging a species susceptibility to extinction scientists make a lists of factors like these and orangutans tick an alarming number of boxes. An orangutan's biology increases their vulnerability but there is no getting away from the fact that the single biggest thing working against orangutans is the value of the forest, either for timber, oil palm or mining.

One last quick, point before closing; Sheryl asked about orangutan eyes. Across all cultures three things captivate people with primates: their eyes; their hands and mothering behaviour, which all so closely resemble our own.

Eyes

Hands

Photo by Anna Lewis - Princess (who learnt sign language) and her infant Percy.

One of the “yes” moments in my life happened years ago when I was working in Nigeria. A Nigerian man was looking at a female drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) with her new born. The man suddenly exclaimed “Ah, how can people call this “meat”, it is a mother and her child”.

Part 2 - Vulnerable Species

Thank you for your encouraging comments. I shall continue! Orangutans are the slowest breeding of all primates and have the longest inter-birth interval, of any land-based mammal, almost eight years. The female orangutan reaches puberty at ten years and will normally have their first baby between the age of 12 and 15.

(Photo by Andrea Molyneaux)

Offspring are dependent on their mothers for at least five years and this means females will normally have no more than three offspring. The combination of these factors puts the orangutan population, especially small fragmented populations, at considerable risk because they don’t have the capacity to recover from disasters that may strike. A slight rise in the adult female mortality rate by just 1-2% can drive a local population to extinction.

An orangutan without trees is like a fish out of water!

Orangutans are dependent on trees for their existence. They are the only great ape to be truly aboreal with females rarely descending to the forest floor. The majority of their time is spent foraging for food in the forest canopy while the rest of it is spent resting and sleeping. Orangutans build a new sleep nest every night.

Orangutans are perfectly adapted for life in the trees; their arms are much longer than their legs and their feet resemble their hands and with their highly flexible hips they can move through the forest with the greatest expertise. At 120 kg plus, a male orangutan is the largest arboreal (tree-living) animal in the world.

Tragically orangutan habitat is being destroyed at an alarming pace with Indonesia currently having the world's highest deforestation rate. By protecting forest areas, such as the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Tanjung Puting National Park and Belantikan, we can help ensure that orangutans have a future in the wild.

In the next post I’ll talk about how orangutans play a key role in the forest ecosystem.

Orangutans: Part 1

So far in my blog I have talked about the threats to orangutans and about our work to save them and their habitat. In my next few posts I thought it might be an idea to tell you more about orangutans, why they are special and why saving them is so important. Some of you, I'm sure, already know a lot about orangutans so apologies if there's nothing new. For those of you who don't, I hope you will enjoy learning about one of your close relatives!! The orangutan is the only great ape found outside of Africa. Historically the orangutan's range spread throughout Southeast Asia to Southern China but now orangutans are only found in isolated populations on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Click to see the current range of the Bornean and Sumatran orangutan.

They are classified as having two separate species, the Bornean Orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, and the Sumatran Orangutan, Pongo abelii. Under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species the Sumatran Orangutan is classified as critically endangered and the Bornean as endangered. The two species show slightly different physical characteristics and these are seen more obviously in the males. For example, Bornean orangutans are darker with shorter coarse hair and the males have wider cheek pads than the Sumatran.

Bornean Male

Sumatran Male

Behavioural differences have also been observed, Sumatran orangutans are more frugivorous and there is more evidence of tool use. The difference between the species, whether it is habitat induced or local adaptations, has yet to be confirmed.

Wild orangutans have only been studied in depth since the 1970’s and since they have a life span of 45 years plus, documentation of an orangutan's full life span has yet to be completed. Long running studies are elemental to our understanding of orangutans. Their behaviour varies and some isolated populations display unique behaviour. Just over ten years ago it was discovered that wild orangutans regularly manufacture and use tools. In the area of Suaq Balimbing, Gunung Leuser National Park, in Sumatra, the orangutans had 54 different tools just for extracting insects.

What is obvious to anyone who has spent time observing orangutans is their striking individual personalities and the fact they are extremely intelligent. Their ability to imitate human behaviour seems limitless, so much so, that at Camp Leakey, in Tanjung Puting National Park, canoes have to be sunken to avoid them being stolen by orangutans. There are complex lock systems on external doors to try and prevent orangutans getting in, and these have to be updated fairly often as the orangutans eventually work them out!

Trying to break in!

Orangutans have learnt sign language. This skill has been learnt in their natural habitat and not just in laboratory conditions. At Camp Leakey, Dr Gary Shapiro taught sign language to an ex-captive orangutan called Princess. He observed Princess forming new words out of existing words that he had taught her.

Orangutans are culturally important to the indigenous people of Indonesia and Malaysia with many folktales told about them. In Malay and Indonesian orangutan means “person of the forest”, however there are also many local names that exist. Some Malays believe that male orangutans are ghosts and Dayak groups believe that orangutans don’t talk because otherwise they would be made to work!

Next time I will tell you about the orangutan’s life history and why this increases their vulnerability as a species.

We’re Back!

Apologies for the long silence.  I went away for a couple of weeks over Easter, timing my return to coincide with the next reporting period (which seem to come around all too often!).  We have to report on our activities, for both donors and the Indonesian Government, every three months and March ends the first quarter of the year.   The good news for me was, in my absence, the team have just about finished the various reports – gold stars all round.  What is more amazing is finding out what happened while I was away.  Astri attended a number of meetings designed to harmonize the (Central Government) Forestry Department’s spatial plans with the provincial plan.  The end result of these meetings is that the borders of the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve will be adjusted to incorporate a large block of surrounding forest. 

This is fantastic news!  Not only is more forest protected, it dramatically increases the number of potential release sites and will make patrolling and monitoring much simpler.  Well done to all! 

Devis’ report on Pondok Ambung, Tanjung Puting National Park (TPNP) covers not only the fire but also the recent arrival of four Indonesian students; two of whom will be conducting research at Pondok Ambung, while the other two will be observing orangutans around Camp Leakey.  They found very fresh scratch marks made by a sun bear.

Sun bear scratch marks 

Sun bears are the smallest of all the true bears, being approximately the size of a Labrador.  They have amazingly long sharp claws which they use to rip through bark to get at insects and honey.  It is interesting to note the local Dayaks consider the sun bear the most dangerous animal in the forest, because of their habit of attacking rather than running if startled.  Sadly though they are the rarest of bears, endangered through hunting and habitat loss. 

Teguh wrote about the activities of the Buluh Kecil and Buluh Besar river guard posts, in TPNP, which he supervises.  They have clearly been busy at the Buluh Kecil. 

 

Buluh Kecil Guard Post 

During the month, in addition to the routine patrolling, they have started clearing an access trail from the post to the village of Teluk Pulai some 7 km away.  They have also mapped the reforestation site at the back of the post (reforestation is the major activity at this post, as the surrounding area was badly burnt in the fires of late 2006).  Some 10 hectares have already been replanted, though survival rate is not encouraging. We hope to improve this programme when we plant the next batch of saplings which have been grown onsite. What neither Teguh or Devis mentioned was getting lost.  They were intending to walk from the Pesalat Camp to the orangutan release camp, Pondok Tanggui.

As Bhayu narrates:

 “Devis and Teguh had crazy plan to walked from pesalat to pondok tanggui, using existing trail that they never walked previously. I tried to ask them not to but they insisted, rely on the GPS. So they got lost. After we arrived at Pondok tanggui at 16.00, we gathered the search party. We shouted at each other, but no encountered, so we went back to pondok tanggui at 23.00 and devis and teguh had to spent the night at the forest. We pick them up in the morning, exhausted and they felt so stupid i bet.” 

I can see why that wasn’t mentioned in their reports! 

 

Both photos of Pondok Tanggui 

Now, thank you and some replies. 

Thank you Theresa S. for your latest and generous donation of $100 and Hannah for your offer of support - the London office may be in touch. Elizabeth, thank you for your donation made on 3rd March, if you haven’t already done so, please could you confirm with Wildlife Direct that it was for the Orangutan Foundation (!).   Brigitta, fantastic that you are going to visit TPNP and thank you for your offer of bringing supplies to Indonesia.  Having discussed it with the UK office, their suggestion is to keep it simple and rather posting things from the UK to Switzerland, if you could buy some chewable children’s multi-vitamins that would be perfect.  They are always in demand at the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine.  Closer to the time, we can make arrangements to meet up.   

Lastly, on my holiday I took advantage of a fast internet connection to download Google Earth (as well as looking at this site.  Do you know, our dial up connection in Indonesia is so slow I can rarely see my own page?!).  If you have Google Earth you can type in Tanjung Puting Indonesia and the National Park will come up.  Lamandau is not listed but if you are really keen, I will give you some coordinates so you can find it. 

Again, thank you for your support and apologies for the silence.

The state of play, the play of state

In a break from form the thinking behind this post is not to tell a story but to let you know an insiders view of the ins and outs of orangutan conservation. Shamelessly, photos of orangutans and the forest will accompany this post, as much to remind me as well as you what this is all about, though they played no part in the week I have just had. I have just spent three days in Jakarta (capital of Indonesia on the island of Java). Myself, Togu the head of Yayorin and Iman, the Team Leader of the Belantikan Conservation Programme (a joint Orangutan Foundation – Yayorin project) flew there on Tuesday, had meetings on Wednesday and Thursday and we flew back to Borneo on Friday. No one begs forgiveness for the air miles/carbon emissions more than us!

The meetings centred on a proposal submitted by the Foundation and Flora and Fauna International (FFI) to the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Day One was dominated by the need to prepare a work plan, “pipe line” expenditure, and Terms of Reference for new employees. Thursday, was the face to face meeting with USAID’s contractor, and friday we flew home. The meetings were intense, bureaucratic and purely administrative. Jakarta’s infamous traffic jams were as bad as ever and our hotel was – putting it mildly – awful. So, was it worth it?

Yes.

To save huge tracts of forest requires huge investment. Arguing for the conservation of forest that spans provincial boundaries adds a political dimension, and talking of carbon sequestration/reduced greenhouse gas emissions immediately puts everything into an international context. Our proposal is not complicated; entitled simply “Landscape-based Conservation of Orangutans between Central and West Kalimantan” it aims to bring together and improve conservation initiatives already underway in West Kalimantan (by FFI) and us, in Central Kalimantan. It represents what we have long believed in – NGOs collaborating, not competing – and the pragmatic acceptance that logging operations exist but are not fatal unless the logging concession is subsequently converted to palm oil.

Simple idea and, if I say so myself, the right idea; but now to jump through the hurdles.

Yayorin’s presence was an imperative. As the Indonesian conservation organisation who will do the implementing in Central Kalimantan, they had to be involved all the way. Quite rightly, most of the discussion took place in Indonesian, though trying to translate legalese such as “The recipient may request a waiver of the Marking Plan or of the marking requirements of this provision, in whole or in part, for each program, project, activity, public communication or commodity, or, in exceptional circumstances, for a region or country” was a struggle!

So what was the outcome?

Wildlife Direct is needed, perhaps more than ever. (Fingers crossed) We’ll get the grant. This will expand the range of our joint operations and put more conservation flags on the map. USAID and other big donors are great at providing the training opportunities and supplying the satellite images and computing hardware to analyse them, and we are the first to say thank you for that. But simple things like rucksacks for the guys’ backs, new uniforms and, indeed, anything actually for orangutans themselves falls way outside of “Locally financed procurements must be covered by source and nationality waivers as set forth in 22 CFR 228, Subpart F, except as provided for in mandatory standard provision”.

I am not being cynical. The point is we are trying to do this from top to bottom but always with an eye for what is really happening in the forest. Without a lot of committed people, such as yourselves, being passionate about orangutan conservation, we would not even be talking to USAID or the European Union. But that is only part of the story.

The other part is the nitty-gritty like the fire beaters you so generously sponsored. If we are going to be successful we need to be active and effective at every level, especially at the grass roots, on the front line. Thank you for keeping us there.

A Conservationist’s Dilemma -What to do with Montana?

Before I begin, let me apologise if in my last blog, the photo made it seem Mr (Pak) Sehat was with Montana. The orangutan Pak Sehat was pictured with was Hongky when they had just arrived at Camp Rasak immediately before walking to the feeding site, where final release took place. If a bond between Hongky and Pak Sehat is apparent, well the camera does not lie. Hongky is a boisterous teenager. The mere holding of his hand by Pak Sehat was enough to calm him until he was released and he was free to climb. Montana is different. When I first arrived in Indonesia, Montana was a little bigger than the size of Hongky in the photo. In those days he joined in the "days out" system of the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine (OCCQ). It is really only in the last year or so he has not been able to, and not just because of his size. It is also his character. I thank you very much for your offer "Cathy-California” and Sheryl, but in Montana's case it isn't that "the problem is a shortage of money? Would a specific donation intended let's say to hire 1-2 people...." The problem is what happens when Montana is out of his cage. He wants to roam, to explore, to find his own space. We simply can not provide him with what he needs at the OCCQ and in all honesty no number of extra assistants would change that. If Pak Sehat is not confident letting him out, none of us should be.

Unfortunately, neither can we accommodate Montana in Lamandau. The rehabilitation system as it is set up takes orangutans nearing independence-age and releases them into the wild, though with supplementary feeding. Once in the wild, the orangutans have to take their chances in finding food, dispersing and interacting with other/wild orangutans. Of course, veterinary care and assistants are there to help when things don't go according to plan, but essentially the process is 'hands off'.

Montana doesn't fit into that system. There is too great a risk he will fight with other orangutans, and would likely loose because of his disabilities. He may also be a danger to the staff, or the local people who work in and around the Reserve. We want to be hands off with the orangutans but we also want them to be hands-off with us!

So the alternatives are: building him a permanent enclosure at the OCCQ (as you suggest) or finding a more appropriate release site. While the first seems like the best solution it is by far and away the most expensive. Is that justifiable when there are 300+ other orangutans needing care and new releases sites, and not to mention the arguably more important demands of habitat protection for the wild populations? The OCCQ was not designed to be a sanctuary and it is important for us to stay true to that mission. In the complicated politics of Indonesia if we were to start providing life-time care, in the eyes of the Government, it could potentially weaken our argument for more protected areas and release sites; “why, the orangutans are fine where they are.”

The other alternative is finding a more suitable release site – deep in the heart of the forest. The middle of Tanjung Puting National Park would be ideal but currently orangutans are not allowed to be released there. However, we are confident, one day we will find the right spot. In the meantime, we do what we can for him; whether it is giving him banana trees, or the novel feeding toy Jodie and Peter built for him, ropes, swings, car tyres and hammocks.

Hand on my heart, I do not think Montana “suffers’ at the OCCQ. He is alert and active. However, any cage - at some level - compromises a being’s welfare and we recognize that while we do all we can given the dilemmas of limited resources, priorities and the need to balance conservation against welfare, it is not enough. The tragedy, the “wrong” of Montana’s situation is that an orangutan that big has to be in captivity at all. That’s what we are working to change.

I am sorry this blog has become so long and detailed – it was not meant to be, but perhaps the balancing act we have to perform in caring for the individual and protecting the species is not easily explained. There also is one other point that needs to be made.

In starting out on Wildlife Direct we pledged honesty. We sincerely thank you for your offer of support and none of us are about to turn down donations. Similarly, we have all agonised over what to do with Montana. However, investing heavily and solely in him would not be right. I would ask anyone wanting to help Montana to make their donation towards the OCCQ.

I hope you understand.

Many thanks

Stephen

A quick reply to comments…

Thank you for all your comments on Montana. Clearly, his story has touched you as much as it does us. Montana spends 90% of his time in his cage, which is partly what makes it so tragic. The only time he gets out is when we need to give his cage a 'deep clean', put in more ropes and tyres or, as frequently, repair it! The problem is, he is so big and strong he simply cannot be taken out with the other orangutans. Even Pak Sehat (see photo below) who is magical with orangutans cannot control him.

Mr Sehat with an ex-captive orangutan (not Montana)

The other issue is that the OCCQ was never designed to provide a permanent home. It is only a 'half-way house' for the orangutans on their way back to the forest. Therefore, finding a long-term solution for Montana requires careful thought as the existing facilities are not designed to be used permanently, especially by orangutans of his age and size.

Photo below of Ashley Leiman (Founder & Director of Orangutan Foundation) and I hard at work!

Many thanks,

Stephen

Fruit and Toads!

Stephen is currently at meetings in Jakarta so, as a fill in, please see the two pieces below, written for this blog by the Belantikan Conservation Programme (BCP) Team. The Orangutan Foundation believe that scientific research is a fundamental tool in ensuring the continued survival of the orangutan and the long-term protection of its habitat. Research reveals the interdependence of all forms of fauna and flora (including toads, fruit, orangutans and humans!) and provides us with the facts required to make informed decisions about how we manage an individual species or an ecosystem. - Iman Safari, Program Manager of BCP

‘I have worked with community in four villages at Belantikan Hulu, Kalimantan Tengah for two years. However I have never been there while the fruit season arrives. Finally, I got to taste several exotic fruits that I have often been told about by the Belantikan Village community.

Please you take a look at these exotic fruit’s pictures. Not everybody has an opportunity to see these exotic fruits such Mentawa (Artocarpus sp), Durian Pampaan (Durio kutejensis), Kusi (Durio dulcis), Lempahung (Baccaurea lanceolata) and Asam Mehawang (Manggifera foetida) since these fruits could be found only in Kalimantan’s countryside.

Mentawa (Artocarpus sp)

Durian Pampaan (Durio kutejensis)

Kusi (Durio dulcis)

Lempahung (Baccaurea lanceolata)

Asam Mehawang (Manggifera foetida)

In my own opinion, those fruits have extraordinary flavor. As a part of Indonesian plasma nutfah (germplasm), they should be grown properly in order to cultivate their superior variety. As matter of fact, those fruit will be extinct if there is not any pre-plan farming to be taken. The government should have started to develop an initiative to keep their exotic fruits existing.

At the present time, the forest in Belantikan Hulu has been changed to be wood repository area and iron mining area. If there is no pre-emptive scheme to grow those exotic fruit, surely they will be become extinct someday. The next generation, most probably, would never taste or witness them. I felt so fortunate about experiencing the natural-wealth of Belatikan Hulu forest.’

- Sasi Kirono, Resercher of BCP

‘The Belantikan region has very high ecological assets. The variety of ecosystems and the location altitude (76-1099 mdpl) might also be the factor of ecological wealth. This area was surveyed in 2005 and 32 amphibian species and 38 reptile species were found. The survey also found an endemic and very rare jungle toad, Barbourula kalimantanesis.Another rare amphibian species, Genus ichtyophis, was also discovered but this extremely rare species has not been classified, even though the image has been taken by camera.

Barbourula kalimantanensis

In my most recent survey I discovered 38 amphibians and 18 reptilians. During engagement of the survey, we have a hard time to categorize discovered species due to limitation of herpetofauna identification.

Discovering Belantikan's treasures - BCP researcher

Herpetofauna are important as their presence is a bio-indicator for healthy environments. My simple research should have continuation. I wish there will be other researchers to have the same interest like me.’

Montana

The objective of the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine (OCCQ) is to rehabilitate orangutans so they can be released into the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. Tragically, some orangutans, like Montana below, arrive at the OCCQ with such bad injuries that this will never be an option for them. For these individuals we must try and provide as best conditions as possible and at this point our work changes from conservation to welfare.

Montana (photo by Peter Ellen)

Montana is the oldest and biggest orangutan at the OCCQ. Well on his way to adulthood, he was confiscated in 1994 when he was approximately 5 years old. He had been shot in the head and, as a result, is blind in his left eye. He has a paralysed left leg and only partial use of his right arm. He can be aggressive with people and has long-since reached an age when he is intolerant of other orangutans, so has to stay by himself. Unfortunately, Montana can never be released into a normal forest situation as his injuries have left him weakened and unable to compete with other orangutans, and there is a risk he would become a “nuisance” raiding villagers’ crops. I could write more about him but suffice it to say, like Violet, he is one of the ‘special ones’, one of the orangutans who has been especially cruelly treated by fate and humankind.

At the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine (OCCQ) we are lucky in that the surrounding nursery forest provides completely natural enrichment for the majority of our orangutans. The forests have everything they’ll need for learning the skills and developing the muscles required to survive in the wild. Unfortunately, as I have said before, not every orangutan goes out every day. For most of the older orangutans it is every second day. However, for some, it is much less frequent. Some refuse to come back at the end of the day, or they roam too far – there are power lines on the road alongside the nursery forest. Some do not want to mix with the other orangutans (orangutans are semi-solitary in the wild). For these orangutans that don’t get out to the forest, enrichment is necessary for their welfare.

I spent the other Sunday cleaning up my garden and I felled an old, straggly, banana tree. There was only one place for it to go. Ashley, the director of the Orangutan Foundation, helped me take it to the OCCQ, especially for Montana.

Montana with banana stalk

Struggling, we rammed the banana stalk as far as it would go into Montana’s enclosure. He reached out a massive hand, wrapped his sausage-sized fingers around the end of the stalk and, seemingly effortlessly, pulled it in. Then he set to work, peeling off the outer skin and slurping up the juicy central pith. And he did it for hours.

Some of the younger orangutans in the cage next to Montana's pleased with their share of the banana tree.

This is meant as a simple story - what we did cost nothing, but it meant a great deal. Montana worked that stalked to its very end and he nested in the leaves for two nights.

By the way you’ll be relieved to hear, that as I type, it is raining outside – long may it continue!

Thank you

Last night I closed my blog by saying thank you for all your support. This morning there was an email from the UK office detailing exactly how much we had received in response to our appeal for ‘fire beaters’ (Muriel T $10, Tatsuya H $10, Christopher W $500, Sheryl B $10, Brigitta S $50, Francis D $20, Lucia C $100 and Theresa S (four donations totalling $250)).I am afraid I understated my thanks:

Thank you all, very, very much!

Firstly, here’s the proof we are directing your money as stated.

The fire beaters kindly modelled by Abdi (left) and Devis (right).

We have 47 beaters almost ready - we just need to bolt the rubber to the poles, and there are lots more on order. Our aim is to have one beater per staff member along with buckets, jerry cans and hand sprayers. We also want to ensure we have enough beaters available, so they can be handed out to volunteers from close by villages, if there is a fire. Devis actually said “Now I’ll feel guilty if it rains!”. However, the tragic reality is, if not this month or even this year, we will need this fire fighting gear at some point on in the future and now we will be prepared.

The second thank you is due to Theresa who donated money for Malaria medicines. I spoke to the vets who said their greatest need was actually for oral antibiotics which they prefer to use instead of invasive injections. Also, if it is a sick free-ranging, rehabilitated orangutan that needs treatment, they can leave tablets with the field staff for mixing/hiding in food. The vets asked for “Marbocyl” which the UK office kindly procured. Ashley Leiman, Founder & Director of the Orangutan Foundation brought out the Marbocyl, with a lot of other supplies for the OCCQ, and gave them to Dr. Popo and Mrs Waliyati (Senior Administrator) on Saturday.

Dr Popo (in blue) and Mrs Waliyati (in red) with the OCCQ supplies.

OCCQ carers taking the orangutans out to the forest

Rerin, a carer at the OCCQ, with one of the many orphaned infants.

Theresa, I hope our buying an antibiotic not an anti-malarial is OK with you. After all, it is what we were told the little ones needed!

Once again thank you all very much for your support!