Bangkal - a gentle giant

I'd like to share with you a lovely story... In October 2000, I went to Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo to join the Orangutan Foundation Volunteer Programme .  Back then, illegal logging of the national park was in full flow and because of this our group of 12 volunteers found it hard to keep our spirits up.  The whole reality of the situation came crashing down on us one day when we heard that an injured orangutan had been found close to where we were working.

Bankal in 2000 just after he was found.

Bankal, a sub-adult male aged about 11 years old, was found injured and weak. He had an open wound across his face and a horrible burn down the side of his face and neck. The cause of his injuries was all too clear, boiling oil had been thrown over him by illegal loggers. No one else would have done this.  It is probably one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever witnessed.  He was rushed to the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine Facility, run by Orangutan Foundation International, where he was given emergency surgery. 

Despite all he went through, Bankal remained incredibly gentle and trusting. During his recuperation, he developed a unique way of protecting himself from annoying insects, by using a blanket to cover his injured face. He would lift the blanket to allow people to feed him. 

Sadly, this was not the first tragic encounter Bankal had had with humans. It is likely that his mother was killed when he was still an infant.  He was caught, and may have been sold into the illegal pet trade.  Luckily he was discovered and confiscated by the Indonesian Authorities.  He then began the long, slow process of rehabilitation.  Bankal was a quick learner and his gentle, intelligent manner made him a favourite with everyone who cared for him.  He was first released into Tanjung Puting National Park and he became more and more independent and rarely needed to come to the feeding station.

Bankal recovered from his burn injuries and he was eventually released again in 2003, but this time into the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.  This June, almost 11 years after my first encounter with Bankal, I unexpectedly saw him again – this time in much happier circumstances.  I was leading a group of our supporters, from Steppes Discovery, which had been given permission by the Agency for Natural Resources Conservation (BKSDA) to visit the reserve for the afternoon.   As we walked through the forest an Orangutan Foundation staff member pointed out an orangutan on the forest floor. It was hard to make him out but when they said it was Bankal my heart jumped.  I was so thrilled to meet him again and see what a beautiful, magnificent adult male he had grown into.

Bankal in 2011 - photo by Jenny Aundrews

I am confident that Bankal will spend the rest of his life in the wild. His habitat is being protected and this we owe him. With a new vet programme in place we continue to monitor the orangutans that have been released.  With local communities, the Agency for Natural Resources Conservation and a local NGO, Yayorin we are safeguarding the future of this reserve for orangutans, forests and people.

Please consider a donation to help us continue our vital work.

Thank you,

Cathy

Orangutan Foundation

Orang-utan Holiday

Two of the three Orangutan Conservation Tours that we run with Steppes Discovery each year have now finished leaving the last one departing in September. Ruby, who joined the first trip in June and kept the group entertained with her yoga poses and cartoon drawings, wrote the piece below for Latest 7 magazine, www.thelatest.co.uk/7 . We thought we'd share it with you... Orang-utan Holiday

It has taken me several days to come down from my visit to Borneo.  I am completely orangutaned out. When I say that I was reading the same book on the plane back as the one I had started when flying out, and that the large bottle of gin L and I bought in Dubai was hardly touched at the end of the two weeks, it will give you some idea of how action packed this holiday was.

As we swanned up and down the Sekonyer river in a local boat (klotok) we were not allowed to just lie back and enjoy the surrounding jungle of the Tanjung Puting National Park. We had to look for proboscis and macaque monkeys in the trees and try and identify the various brightly coloured birds  and admire the  storks , geese and ducks  that flew overhead. Our guide, a beautiful young Indonesian man with high cheek bones and thick glossy black hair, had incredible eye sight and could see and identify a hornbill at five hundred yards, whereas I had trouble seeing it when we sailed past.

At Camp Leakey the ex-captive orangutans  were cheeky and not at all frightened of humans. Watching a mother swing through the trees with a tiny baby clinging to her back was just incredible. Later we were privileged to be able to visit the Lamandau (Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve) reserve where orangutans  are released or relocated and see the various community projects which help to protect the rain forest  by teaching the local people to earn a living  other than by logging or mining.

One day we had a five hour tramp through the jungle, tripping up on tree roots, sinking into bogs  and teetering along  tree branches like bad trapeze artists.  We were all geared up with rucksacks, water bottles,  mosquito repellent and trousers  tucked into our socks(against the leeches) while our lissom guide scampered ahead in flip flops!  It was magic when we managed to see some wild orangutans high up in the trees but I have never sweated so much in my life.  No time for a gin before collapsing into bed that night.

All the creepy crawlies seemed to be so much bigger in Indonesia -  ferocious red ants a good inch long, flying geckos and stick insects with large gossamer wings, cicadas which sounded like chain saws. I think that between us L and I were lucky to get away with only experiencing two leeches, one tummy bug and multiple mossie bites.  This has been one of the most exciting, uplifting and exhausting holidays ever.

Next week we'll share some beautiful images taken in Tanjung Puting National Park.

Painting Orangutans

Orangutan Foundation member, Jacha continues to raise vital fund and awareness for us through his wonderful art. Jacha’s latest activities involved a week-long visit to Merchiston Castle School, in Edinburgh.  Jacha, a full-time artist, is passionate about conservation and has a great love of animals. A trip with the Orangutan Foundation to Borneo had a deep affect on him and inspired his collection of orangutan paintings, which have sold worldwide. He has his own gallery space in the Alpine Coffee Shop  and Gallery, Betws-y-Coed, North Wales.

Photo above: Jacha and students.

The Merchiston school were thrilled to have Jacha for the week, taking art classes and speaking at the School assembly.   Jacha spent much time in the Art Centre, where his enthusiasm rubbed of on the pupils and staff alike.

Jacha also painted one of his 'orangutan' portraits so all were very interested to watch the piece evolve over two days. During Jacha's stay he spoke to the Fourth and Sixth Form about threats to orangutan habitat and hightlighted the impacts of the palm oil industry.

 The School also hosted ‘An Evening with Artist Jacha Potgieter’ which included dinner and live music for parents, Sixth Form pupils and staff.   The school and Jacha raised £1,500 for the Orangutan Foundation - a fantastic effort all round! 

Photo above: An evening with Jacha

A huge thank you to the school and Jacha for making a difference and raising vital funds and awareness.

Thanks for your support!

Orangutan Foundation

www.orangutan.org.uk

Sumatran Orangutan Twins

View video footage of the orangutans twins  (Sumatran orangutans give birth to twins) born at the start of 2011  to blind parents from our partners, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. Help the valuable work of this centre by adopting Wenda.

Thank you!

Orangutan Foundation

A second chance for Borneo's sunbear

In November 2010, the Orangutan Foundation and the Indonesian Government’s local Agency of Conservation of Natural Resources rescued a very young Malaysian sunbear.  Sunbears are the world’s smallest bear and their survival in the wild is threatened by habitat loss and commercial hunting.

The sunbear, named Gemini, was taken to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, a protected area of forest located on the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. When the Orangutan Foundation’s vet, first weighed Gemini he was only 3kg and with him being so young there was some doubt as to how successful efforts would be to return him to the wild.

So far these concerns have not materialised and Gemini is thriving.  In early June, his weight reached 11 kg - a significant increase since he was first rescued.

The least studied of all the bear species, there are many myths about sunbears. They are notoriously aggressive, with large sharp claws and so one of the Foundation’s main concerns was the potential for future human/bear conflicts.  To minimise this risk Gemini only interacts with one member of the charity’s staff and it is hoped that if Gemini was to encounter humans later on he will shy away .

The Orangutan Foundation has established a daily routine for Gemini to increase his chance of survival in the wild. Each morning after his breakfast Gemini is led into the forest to play. The staff joke that he is naughty as he regularly ignores his carer’s calls and runs off with his carer struggling to follow.

This incredible bear is well-adapted to climbing trees but even the staff were surprised, and anxious, to see how high Gemini climbs.  Initially staff tried to encourage him down but their efforts were in vain and Gemini came down in his own time.

To encourage Gemini’s foraging skills honey is sprayed into holes in tree trunks and onto fallen and rotten branches. This is to encourage Gemini to get the taste and look for honey in the forest.  Sunbears have the longest tongues of all bear species which is especially useful for getting to honey and insects.

Once tired of playing in the forest, Gemini is brought back to camp where he is given food and milk.  After that he is taken to the river for swimming lessons.

At the end of the day Gemini is put back into his holding cage to rest – according to the field assistant who looks after him Gemini’s tired eyes seem to say "I want to rest - sweet dreams. I'll see you tomorrow morning and we can play together again in the forest".

Since 2000, more than 160 orangutans and other threatened wildlife species including clouded leopards and sunbears have been released into the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.

Help support our work by donating to our 20th anniversary appeal - 20/20 Vision of a Future...for Orangutans, Forests and People

Thank you!

Press Release: Healthy twin babies for blind Sumatran orangutans

 

PRESS RELEASE

27th January 2011

 

Healthy twin babies for blind Sumatran orangutans  

Staff at a Sumatran orangutan sanctuary have a unique double celebration in their hands with the birth of rare twin infants to parents who are both completely blind and lucky to be alive.

Twins’ mother Gober lost her sight to cataracts and was rescued in 2008 by the Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Programme after her blindness forced her to raid crops, risking almost certain death from villagers.

Father Leuser,  confiscated as an illegal pet and released fit and well into the wild in Bukit Tigapulah National Park,  strayed outside park boundaries and was shot by villagers. He was found with 62 air rifle wounds with three pellets lodged in his eyes.

The twins were born last Friday (January 21) at the Batu Mbelin orangutan quarantine centre near Medan in North Sumatra where both adults are in long term care, after staff lifted their normal breeding ban to improve quality of life for elderly Gober, now well over 40.

“We try to prevent orang-utans breeding until after they are released to the wild, but this was not an option for Gober,” said Ian Singleton, Director of Conservation for the Swiss based Pan Eco Foundation.

“ We felt  having an infant would enrich her existence.  Rather than being bored, Gober now has the full time responsibility of her infants, not just one but two of them.”

Mother and babies, a boy and a girl named ‘Ganteng’ (handsome) and ‘Ginting’ ( a popular local name), are doing well under careful staff supervision, he reports.  For the time being Leuser is being kept separate although he could meet his offspring later in the year.

‘Twins are not unheard of but they are certainly not common and relatively few zoos will have experience of it.  The fact that both parents are blind this makes it a doubly special event.”

And long term?  Ian hopes that both infants will eventually be released to a life in the wild, something denied to both their parents.

“Despite their handicaps, both Gober’s and Leuser’s genes will be given a second chance to contribute to conservation of their species in the wilds of Sumatra.”

Sumatran orangutans now number only 6,600 in the wild. They are listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, facing loss of rainforest, mostly converted to oil palm plantations,  and frequently killed during forest clearance or as pests if they raid crops.

Editors Notes:

• Three local villagers were jailed  in 2006 for shooting Leuser , all receiving sentences of more than three months. 16 pellets were removed, but 46 remain in his body as attempts to remove them could risk his life.

•  Construction of the Batu Mbelin orang-utan quarantine centre was completed in 2002, since when 200 orangutans have been received and more than 130 already transferred to the SOCP’s centre at Jambi for re-introduction to the wild.

• The Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Programme is a collaborative initiative driven by the Indonesia Government Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation,  involving Swiss based Pan Eco Foundation, Indonesia’s Yayasin Ekosistem Lestari Foundation and Germany’s Frankfurt Zoological Society.  Its work includes rescue, quarantine and re-introduction, surveys and monitoring of populations, conservation research, habitat conservation, education and awareness raising.

• The Orangutan Foundation is the UK representative of the SOCP.

Anyone wanting to help Gober, Leuser and their twins, and many others in Sumatra can do so by making a donation to the Orangutan Foundation in the UK or PanEco Foundation via:

www.orangutan.org.uk (Reference: SOCP)

www.paneco.ch

Further details and high resolution images:-

Ashley Leiman,Director -  Orangutan Foundation.

020 7724 2912       info@orangutan.org.uk

Don't miss Hope4apes

Ian Redmond OBE, Chairman of the Ape Alliance, delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg earlier this week.  The letter urges Cameron and Clegg to ensure necessary measures for the mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) are finalised at the UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Above and below, Nick, the Orangutan Foundation's mascot, helps to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister with two other apes a gorilla and human, Ian Redmond   - Photo by Nico Dattani

In freezing weather Ian Redmond arrived outside Number 10, with volunteers dressed as an orangutan and gorilla, traveling on i-Scoot electric scooters to demonstrate that environmentally friendly, sustainable personal transportation is a part of the solution.

Don’t missed the Hope 4 Apes event, on Monday 6^th December, at The Lyceum.  Ian Redmond will speak alongside Sir David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall DBE, Chanee (Aurélien Brulé), Dr Birute Galdikas and Dr Jo Thompson. All ape species being discussed are either endangered or critically endangered. Funds raised will support ape conservation.

Hope 4 Apes takes place at The Lyceum, Wellington Street, London, on Monday 6th December at 7pm. Tickets can be booked at the theatre (box office 0844 412 1742) or online at www.4apes.com/hope/

Read an interview with David Attenborough and Jane Goodall in the Telegraph.

Going palm-oil free for orangutans.

This special post has been written by the Orangutan Foundation’s supporters.

 “My name is Jacha Potgieter and with my wife we run a coffee shop in Betws-y-Coed, north Wales  (www.alpinecoffeeshop.net).  

 I visited Borneo in 2008 on a volunteer programme to work with the organisation and I became aware of the impact of palm oil issues.  On returning home I was shocked to see how many products contained palm oil and resolved to seek out only palm oil free goods.  Myself, Sue (our cook) and my wife started researching and sourcing palm oil free goods.  It was not an easy journey but we achieved a lot, especially  persuading the local bakery and major food wholesalers to be aware of the issue.  We are now palm oil free except for sustainable goods of which there are only four products and we plan to replace these in due course.  We make our own ice-cream.  We also support Louis Barnett from Chokolit whose products are also palm oil free. There is a permanent exhibition and information on orangutans and the foundation in the coffee shop gallery.

 This is a very hard won achievement after two years of research and non-compromise but we have enjoyed the challenge.”

 The Orangutan Foundation praises all of your hard work and efforts and is extremely grateful for your ongoing support of our work. Also, thank you for the chocolates that you sent - they arrived today and were absolutely delicious -yum!

 Here is another contribution from Sue, a supporter of the Orangutan Foundation and Jacha’s…

 “This Halloween, Gwen and Jasha Potgieter kindly let us use the outside of their coffee shop to raise  money for the Orangutan Foundation. After a wet start, children and adults alike enjoyed a great time carving pumpkins, guessing the weight of the giant pumpkin and having their faces painted! We raised £185.22 on the day adding to the grand total of £900.00 raised by them this year. It was such a success that we have already been asked back next year!!”

 Please consider supporting the work of the Orangutan Foundation by donating to our 20^th Anniversary Appeal.

 Thank you!

Going ape for orangutans

Here's a snap shot of what was going during on last week's Orangutan Awareness Week.  TNT, motivated their staff to join us for Orange for Orangutan day. They are also running a competition for their staff, the winner receives 2 ticket to the Hope4apes event.

Ashley Leiman, Orangutan Foundation director gave numerous radio interveiws throughout Orangutan Awareness Week.  Listen to Ashley on BBC Scotland. 

Orangutans visited major London radio stations and dropped off a box of goodies, which included delicious carrot cake from Le Pain Quotidien and shortbread (palm oil free) Orangu-tangys from Paterson Arran. 

 

Nick, our orangutan mascot, visits London's radio stations to spread the word about his forest cousins.

With Joel Ross of Kiss FM.

Thank you to everyone who did something for orangutans last week. It is not too late to help please consider making a donation.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation.

Orangutan Awareness Week

It is Orangutan Awareness Week and what better way to start than by visiting Brian Matthew's orangutan picture gallery at BBC Wildlife Magazine's website. Here's a taster....

Its not too late to join in the week, why not take part in Orange for Orangutan Day on Wednesday 10th November - a fun and easy way to raise awareness and funds for the  endangered orangutan.

Do something for orangutans this week and donate to our 20th Anniversary Appeal!

News from the field to follow this week...

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation, London office

Visit the orangutan gallery at

Alive and Giving - invite to free event to raise funds for orangutans

Thursday, October 14, 2010 from 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM (GMT), London. Alive & Giving is a new and innovative charity fundraising website and to celebrate the launch of AliveandGiving.com we would like to invite you and your guests to join us at our charity fundraising event, Live to Give.

Please go along and support Cool Earth who are raising funds on behalf of the Orangutan Foundation. Thank you!

 AliveandGiving.com is about encouraging considered giving. To reflect this we have invited three amazing charities, Changemakers, Cool Earth (for orangutans) and Restless Development, to pitch for funding from the audience at our launch party.   We have raised a fantastic £15,000 as match funding for these charities, so for every £10 you donate on the night, £20 will go to your chosen charity.   The event is free to attend; there will be live music and free drinks, and plenty of reasons to give!

For more info please click here...

An adventure of a lifetime

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVENTUROUS INDIVIDUALS!

18^th September – 30^th October

VOLUNTEER WITH THE ORANGUTAN FOUNDATION

 This programme offers volunteers a unique opportunity to visit the remote area of Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP). DSNP is a wetland of interconnected lakes surrounded by peat swamp forest in the upper Kapuas river basin, the most threatened habitat remaining for orangutans in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). The Sentarum lakes and surrounding peat swamp wetlands are unique in Kalimantan, as they are Borneo’s oldest inland peat swamps at 12,000 years old. This really is the heart of Borneo. Threats in the area are the rapid conversion of orangutan habitat to oil palm plantations, as well as hunting, forest fires and illegal logging.

This project will focus on constructing a guard post to protect critical areas inside the park. There will be chiseling, cementing, sawing, nailing and hammering, plus some digging, so this is no mean feat but crucial to ensure orangutans can have a life in the wild where they belong.

The situation facing orangutans in the wild is critical. All populations are under threat from habitat loss caused by conversion of tropical forest to commercial plantations, primarily oil palm, plus illegal logging and mining.

 Working as part of a team of up to 12 volunteers, this 6-week programme gives unrivalled experience of essential conservation work in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Our programme promises exciting opportunities for adventurous individuals to participate in conservation fieldwork that really makes a difference.

Only 3 spaces left! For more information please contact Cat Gibbons at the Orangutan Foundation on 020 7724 2912 or email elly@orangutan.org.uk

Participants must be over 18 years old.

Buy our beautiful blue elephant and help save orangutans too!

Eko (lot 195), our beautiful blue and gold hand-painted elephant is up for auction as part of Elephant Parade London 2010. Own this original piece of artwork by Paul Kidby, the artist and illustrator of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and the Orangutan Foundation will receive 70% of the total.

Eko the Orangutan Foundation's elephant - photo by Paul Kidby

Though we will be sad to see him go the funds raised will be used to support our vital conservation work in Borneo and Sumatra.

If you would like to bid for Eko (lot number 195) in person then why not attend the Grand Elephant Auction at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.  To purchase a ticket please contact Georgina Dunsford on georgina@elephantfamily.org or phone 0207 580 3184 / 0774 7402 970.  Tickets are £75 and include a delicious spread and live jazz.   If you are unable to attend, phone bidding can be arranged.

You need to register your maximum bid online by 2pm on the 2nd of July 2010 when the online auction for this elephant will close.

Sign elephant family's petition to save the Asian elephant.

Thank you and good luck!

Indonesian cultural evening in aid of orangutans

Show your support of the Orangutan Foundation by coming along to our Indonesian Cultural Evening on Wednesday 14th July, at Conway Hall, London, 7pm until 11pm. All funds raised will go towards supporting orangutan conservation. There will also be a chance to entre our raffle to win an Orangutan Conservation Tour to Borneo with Steppes Discovery. 

The Foundation and the Indonesian Embassy are holding an Indonesian evening, which will feature the award winning Indonesian Parahyangan Choir (in the UK for the annual International Musical Festival in North Wales), wonderful Balinese dancing and delicious Indonesian cuisine.

Image above - Indonesian Parahyangan Choir

Tickets are £20 per person (£10 for concessions), which includes all food and drink.

Please make cheques payable to Orangutan Foundation, or you can book via our secure online shop.

All proceeds will go to the Orangutan Foundation.

Please help us to promote this event by sharing this blog with your friends.

Thank you!

Orangutan Foundation

Bird watching in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo

Sorry for the long silence. We thought you might like to see some photos taken in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve ( in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo) by our  intrepid Patrol Manager, Jakir. He took some fantastic photos of the birds who have come to nest at Danau Burung, where the Orangutan Foundation have a guard post.

Purple heron (Ardea purpurea)- © Orangutan Foundation

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)chicks - © Orangutan Foundation

Can you think of a good caption for this photo? © Orangutan Foundation

Great Egret (Casmerodius albus) © Orangutan Foundation

Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus) - © Orangutan Foundation

Thank you,

 Cathy - Orangutan Foundation Uk office.

Don't bank on deforestation help prevent it instead!

After the success of their campaign against Nestlé, who were sourcing unsustainable palm oil from companies including Sinar Mas, Greenpeace are now taking on the bank HSBC - read more and take action here. Greenpeace reveal that HSBC are providing financial services to Sinar Mas, which has expanded its operations around the Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP) in West Kalimantan. The Orangutan Foundation's Volunteer Programme will be working in Danau Sentarum with the Indonesian N.G.O., Titian Foundation, this September for six weeks.

The wetlands of Danau Sentarum © Titian Foundation

DSNP is a wetland of interconnected lakes surrounded by peat swamp forest in the upper Kapuas river basin, the most threatened habitat remaining for orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in Indonesia. The Sentarum lakes and surrounding peat swamp wetlands are unique in Kalimantan, as they are Borneo’s oldest inland peat swamps at 12,000 years old. DSNp is also listed as a Ramsar [Convention on Wetlands of International Importance] site. Threats in the area are rapid conversion of orangutan habitat to oil palm plantations as well as, forest fires, illegal logging and hunting.

Bornean female orangutan and infant © Brian Matthews

If you want to get involved with our crucial conservation work then please contact us on info@orangutan.org.uk or telephone 00 44 (0)20 7724 2912.

Earth Day in Central Kalimantan, Borneo

Earth Day came and went, and the Education team (from the Indonesian NGO Yayorin) from our EC funded project in Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve made sure it didn't go unnoticed.

Our theme for Earth Day was "Menanam Pohon Untuk Mengurangi Panas Bumi" or "Planting Trees to Decrease Global Warming". We wanted to inform the community about climate change, and how we, as individuals and also as a community, can contribute to a better, sustainable environment.

The target for Earth Day was the community of Sukamara, a district of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and the youth group which the Orangutan Foundation facilitate, called Green Organization. The Education team spent a week in Sukamara prior to the event, to meet up with government and school officials to ensure that the Earth Day celebrations were a joint collaboration.

On Earth Daywe had a drawing competition for schoolchildren of various age groups at our EC-Lamandau project office in Sukamara. There were also environment games, including building a globe (out of sustainable materials). We encouraged the youth to build tree costumes out of boxes, and make up their own environment banners.

 Teachers and parents kindly volunteered their time to assist with these activities. An Earth Day parade mostly comprised of the youth from the Green Organization was organized, and everybody brought pails of water, of which they would spontaneously water the trees planted by the roadside. The idea is to inculcate the feeling of social togetherness and caring for the local environment. The soils in Sukamara are quite poor, and sandy and therefore, any trees, shrubs or plants in the community were 'celebrated' for being there.

The day ended with 124 individuals comprising of youth, government officials and villagers descending to Danau Burung nursery (also a guardpost manned by Orangutan Foundation and Forestry Department staff, that borders the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve) to plant at least 250 indigenous seedlings.

To thank the Green Organization youth who so enthusiastically volunteered their time to help and participate in Earth Day, we treated them to a well-deserved barbeque and an environment film screening.

Earth Day in Sukamara was hailed as a success by all, and we can't wait to start planning for the next year!

Thank you,

June Rubis

Orangutan Foundation Programmes Manager

Elephants take to the streets of London

If you are in London during May and June look out for hundreds of life-size model elephants.   Orangutan Foundation is thrilled to be part of London’s biggest outdoor art event, Elephant Parade London 2010, which is organised by the charity, elephant family

Eko, the Orangutan Foundation's elephant. Photo by Paul Kidby

Our beautiful elephant Eko (Indonesian for First born) is on display in Green Park. He was painted by Paul Kidby, the ilustrator of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and was generously sponsored by Le Pain Quotidien.

Watch this short news clip which features Eko in the closing shot and you can view all the elephants here.

Sign the online petition which calls for governments around the world to to sit up and recognize the urgency of the dire situation facing the Asian elephant and the other species that share its habitat.

Another Orphaned Infant Orangutan Adopted by Orangutan

I was recently in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve to visit the guard posts and I dropped by Camp Rusak to check on orangutan Joanna and her new adopted baby last Friday (16th April 2010). Dr. Fiqri (the Foundation's vet) and Tigor (Orangutan Reintroduction manager) had told me that they were planning to release Joanna and her baby that day, and invited me to drop by - so I felt that it was a good opportunity to report back to this blog.

All photos were taken by Pak Jakir, our guard post supervisor.

female orangutan, Joanna and her new adopted baby © Orangutan Foundation

It only took one month for Joanna and the orangutan baby to bond - Dr Fiqri is very happy and felt confident that they would do well on their own.  She is very protective of her baby, yet also comfortable with Dr Fiqri and the rest of the camp staff .  When the orangutan baby first arrived from BKSDA, who had confiscated it from the owner, it only weighed 2 kg and it was 2 years old! It was malnourished, however, it thrived under Joanna's and Dr Fiqri's care, and as you can see, it has put on weight.

© Orangutan Foundation

Being released into the forest © Orangutan Foundation

We will continue to do our best to secure a safe future for Joanna and her new baby and we will be keeping a close eye on how they get on.

Please consider supporting our protectmeandmytree appeal - helping to keep orangutans in the wild.

Thank you,

June Rubis

Programme's Manager

Curious orangutan

Pak Jakir, our Patrol Manager, was on a patrol recently and came across an orangutan hanging about near Pos Seberang Gajah, in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve . Jakir managed to take some fantastic photos and so we thought we'd share them with you.

Photo © Orangutan Foundation

Photo  © Orangutan Foundation

Photo © Orangutan Foundation

This guard post was established in 2008 to counterattack illegal logging in the eastern part of the reserve. The presence of orangutans is a good sign that the habitat is not being disturbed as it was in the past. It is most likely a rehabilitated orangutan, rather than a wild orangutan but nevertheless, if the habitat was still being continually disturbed, it is unlikely that we would see any orangutans.

Orangutan walking upright through the swamp forest - photo  © Orangutan Foundation

We also have news of another female orangutan, in the Lamandau River reserve, who has adopted an orphaned infant orangutan - news and photos to follow soon!

Thanks,

June  Rubis

Programmes Manager