Wow Kusasi certainly proved popular! Thank you for all the positive comments and nice to hear from you again Brigitta. If people want to see the film “Kusasi from Orphan to King” I understand it can be bought on-line from PBS.
The other week I wrote that July was Pondok Ambung, our Tropical Forest Research Station’s, “month”. Certainly, the research activities there dominated my time, but that does not mean everything else stopped. In fact, four more orangutans were released from the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine into the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.
I now have a bit of time to tell you about them. Biruté Galdikas supervised the releases with Tigor, the Manager of the five release camps. On 28 July, the adult female Sasha was released along with her adopted daughter Monica. Though Monica was no longer an infant, it is always good to see these adoptions work; no matter how competent the staff at the Care Centre are, obviously a female orangutan is the best possible mother for youngster.
The second release on 4 August was a bit more traumatic. The orangutans, Ucok and Lori, were OK, but the people had some problems! The orangutans were moved out of the Care Centre in the morning, to avoid them travelling in the heat of the day and were carried in a kelotok (a traditional boat a bit like a motorized canoe). Biruté, Tigor and other staff travelled up later in speedboats. Or at least that was the plan; low water levels meant the speedboats could not get up. They lost two propellers and cracked the hull of one of the boats after colliding with submerged logs. Eventually, the kelotok had to come back for them.
The pictures below show the release from the Care Centre to Camp Rasak and then freedom, once again, in the wild.
Monica
Monica and Sasha leaving the OCCQ
These photos show the orangutans being moved from the Care Centre, into the kelotok, then having a few minutes peace on the feeding platform before some other interested orangutans came for a nose.
All the photo’s were taken by Uduk, Tigor’s deputy, on a camera recently donated to the Orangutan Foundation at our Members and Supporter’s Evening in London, in July.
Donations made here are
Mar 19th Brigitta S USD 20.00
10 Comments
What wonderful news….are you able to follow the released orang’s progress?
GREAT— just wonderful — love this post!
Congratulations to Sasha and Monica, Ucok and Lori, and to the entire team! I have Christine’s same question: Will you be able to monitor their progress as they adjust to living in the wild?
s.
Hi, I am also interested in learning more about the success of the reintroduction program. Are there reports somewhere online?
Thank you for more one wonderful post. Beautiful pictures! Without doubt orangs are special creatures.
Ah………they are so cute and look like they want to stay with the human caretakers! God bless these sweet babies and I hope they are able to thrive!
I keep one’s fingers crossed for so everything will go well in the wild!Good luck and hope you will find some new friends very soon!
Excellant to see orangutans from OCCQ are being released in that wonderful reserve we call Lamandau. Keep up the good work and hopefully more releases are to come!
Great to hear the camera was put to good use . the Supporters evening was greatxxxx
Reading about Sasha’s July release into the wild brought tears (joyful ones!) to my eyes, Stephen. Back in the 90’s I was helping to care for Ego, a young male afraid of everything except Sasha, and on each of my trips there since, I’ve always made it a point to visit her, Ego, and the many orangtans I’d gotten to know through the years. Sasha was like a surrogate mom to Ego and each day he would cling to her while going off into the forest and when they came back. He never wanted to leave her side. The hanging on never seemed to bother Sasha and I treasure a photo where he appeared to be hiding behind her. Really touched my heart to know she now has the chance to enjoy being in the wild. Thank for all the information you share we us, Stephen…it is greatly appreciated.