Orangutan Release Site Almost Ready.
Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Rehabilitation, Volunteer Programme | Date: Oct 09 2008 | By: orangutanfoundation
There is always something disconcerting about taking off your wet boots at the end of a day and having a big, fat leech drop out. The one that rolled out of my right sock yesterday, on my way to the new orangutan release site, was almost the size of my little finger. The one that was stuck to the inside of my calf (which I found later in the shower) was still filling up. That’s what you get walking through swamps in Borneo!
Leeches don’t horrify my, the buzzing of mosquitoes and their annoying, itchy bites are, I think, worse. Anyway, the purpose of this blog wasn’t meant to describe the various blood-sucking invertebrates we encounter. Rather it was to tell you of yesterday’s trip to Camp Mangkung in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, our newest orangutan release site which was being built by our volunteer teams. The good news is the camp is just about finished. The volunteers have done another great job.
Photos showing the almost finished release site (and some fine artwork) at Camp Mangkung in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.
Despite madly fluctuating water levels and pretty rudimentary construction skills the dining hall and sleeping accommodation are complete. All that still needs to be done is to build the toilet and wash rooms and then tidy the site.
We walked into the surrounding forest to scout potential feeding sites. Hanging the tyres won’t be a problem! Which reminds me to say thank you to everyone who has donated so far and to Brigitta, for your latest $20 donation; we already have enough for putting tyres up at Camps JL and Rasak. If you can continue to help us we will soon have enough for the remaining camps.
At the end of the day, rather than go back via the river, Dan Ward (volunteer coordinator) and I decided to walked out. I wanted to see what access would be like when the river is low. It was a great walk, except for the fact I did not find the leeches until I got home!
Tags: Indonesian Borneo, orangutan, orangutan release site
-
100% of your donation, minus a small bank fee, will go to your intended purpose.
Donations made here are safe.
-
Donations Received
- Nov 16th Frances B. USD137.50
- Nov 10th Nicole D. USD22.00
- Nov 10th Bonnie D. USD22.00
- Nov 3rd Matthew K. USD35.00
- Oct 19th Brigitta S. USD20.00
- Oct 15th Tal B. USD22.00
- Oct 3rd Matthew K. USD35.00
- Sep 19th Brigitta S. USD20.00
- Sep 15th Tal B. USD22.00
- Sep 3rd Matthew K. USD35.00
- Aug 22nd Gerhard R. USD20.00
- Aug 21st Helen N. USD15.00
- Aug 19th Brigitta S. USD20.00
- Aug 17th Jenny O. USD8.25
- Aug 17th David B. USD16.50
- Aug 15th Tal B. USD22.00
- Aug 11th Brigitta S. USD100.00
- Aug 3rd Matthew K. USD35.00
- Jul 19th Brigitta S. USD20.00
- Jul 15th Tal B. USD22.00
3 Responses to “Orangutan Release Site Almost Ready.”
paula, on 09 Oct 2008
Congratulations, I can’t wait to see photos of the tyres up and picures of forests creatures - I’m pretty tough but leeches creep me out.
Bernadette, on 10 Oct 2008
Wow! Volunteers really did a good job. Is the feeding site to ensure that the released orangutans can get food if they aren’t able to in the wild? I’d like to know more about how the release site will function? Is it a huge enclosure, or is it really the wild?
Thank you!
Bernadette
Orangutan Foundation » Volunteering again…seven years on, on 30 Oct 2008
[…] Our volunteer programme is now in its 10th year, which is testament enough to its success. Paying volunteers inject an income and workforce into our field projects and without volunteer participation our orangutan release sites would not be nearly as smooth-running or numerous as they are. In the past, volunteers have also built guard posts, constructed portal gates across rivers to block illegal loggers and constructed the Pondok Ambung Tropical Research Station. This year the teams have built a release site at Camp Mangkung (see former post “Orangutan Release Site Nearly Ready”). […]
Trackback URI | Comments RSS
Leave a Reply