Orangutan Foundation

Conservation - Research - Education

Support WildlifeDirect:
buy branded merchandise

National Park Visit

Category: Orangutans, Other wildlife, Tanjung Puting National Park (TPNP), Uncategorized | Date: Jan 21 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

I am sorry for the long silence – I had a fantastic break with my family in Australia. I hope you all had a similarly good end to the year. I actually got back to Indonesia on 9 January but had to spend a frustrating week in Jakarta; the traffic jams in the city are something else!

Anyway, I arrived back in Pangkalan Bun last Thursday and, you’ll be pleased to know, I wasted no time in getting back into the forest. Yesterday, the National Park office hosted a visit by the Bupati, the head of the local Government. There was a cast of thousands; well 67 to be precise but the orangutans did not seem at all fazed.

Bupati visit to Tanjung Puting National Park

Visit to Camp Leakey organised by the National Park Office.

There were lots of orangutans about including Tom who remained incredibly cool despite the crowd of onlookers. Even the gibbons came in.

Gibbon

Feeding Platform Camp Leakey

Feeding Site - Camp Leakey

After everyone had moved back to Camp I stayed on at the feeding site as there was a new sub-adult male at the feeding platform. The Assistants tell me it is Popeye, the son of the wild female orangutan Peat. Ashley and I can remember following him when he was just an adolescent. Unfortunately, it was getting very dark and overcast by then so my pictures don’t do the scene justice.

Orangutans at Camp Leakey

There are in fact three or four orangutans in the photo spread out through the trees - you might be able to just work them out.

The day ended in a local village with a display of traditional dancing. All in all it was a fine welcome back!

Traditional Dancing

Brigitta - thank you very much for you recent donations we really appreciate your support.

Tags: , , ,

2 Responses to “National Park Visit”

orangutanfoundation, on 21 Jan 2009

I remember following Peat and Popeye when I went on a study tour in 1996. I’ve just searched out my old notebook, which describes a very active Popeye who descended to the forest floor and then tried to carry a large dead branch up a tree but with no luck. Popeye then tried breaking it in two but he wasn’t strong enough. Lovely to know he’s still around.

brigitta, switzerland, on 21 Jan 2009

Dear Stephen.
Good to have you back! We had a “real” Swiss Christmas with snow and cold weather. The last years there was only rain and wind. The new year has started well. Our Ice Hockey Team is in the Euroean champions league and plays tonight for the first final game against Magnitogorsk. A wonderful incidental but a lot of fun to Maciek and me ;-)

It shudders me always in the back every time I look at the photos on the blog. This day at Camp Leakey it was a key event.
Although I felt bad, it was the very best part of the hole journey. I lost a peace of my heart there.

I know, that the amount I can send monthly is a drop in a hot stone (as we say in Switzerland) compared to the actual costs.

There are so many things to do. You remember when you told us that you are dancing on different stages ;-)- this feeling I know very good ;-) At the moment I am fighting for the male sunbears at Samboja Lestari. A friend of mine has initiated a privat project to improve the conditions. Now we need to bring together the money for better food.

Warm regards, Brigitta (Greetings from Maciej, he is calling!)

(PS: I posted 2 videos from Camp Leaky on facebook)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply