Here are the photos of the rescue, of a mother and infant, which we blogged about last month. Now, they are both safely in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.

Please consider a donation (donate here) to support our vital work.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation

Determining wild population sizes of orangutans and gibbons, both highly arboreal (tree-dwelling) apes species, is a conservation challenge. But, over the years, scientist have come up with methods that enable accurate estimates. For example, with orangutan their nests are counted and with gibbons, it is their songs that are recorded and used.

Bornean orangutan by Ian Wood.

We are trying to find out more about the wild ape populations of the Belantikan Hulu region which is part of the greater Belantikan Arut – a spectacular landscape spanning 500,000 hectares across Central and West Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). The Belantikan Conservation Programme (BCP) is a joint initiative of Yayorin (an Indonesian NGO) and ourselves.

The Belanitkan Hulu comprises primary and secondary lowland forests, including both recently logged forests and post-logging forests that have since recovered (over the last 35-40 years). The area has ravines, rivers, cliffs and logging roads – all synonymous with Borneo.

There is a large wild orangutan population, which was first surveyed in 2003, and a gibbon population, whose size is unknown. In 2012, The Rufford Foundation awarded funding to the BCP to build a small research station and to commence surveys of the ape species. The research station is now in use by BCP’s field researchers and by a team of biologists from the National University of Jakarta.

Our initial surveys indicate there has been a continuing decrease in the orangutan population over the years. This population was estimated to be the largest population of orangutans existing in the wild outside of the protected area system. In fact, more than 70% of the total Bornean orangutan population in the wild is found outside of designated conservation areas. Hence, it is important to determine the size and distribution of the Belantikan population accurately, and to be able to monitor the current apparent population decline, so that appropriate conservation actions can be taken.

The gibbon survey estimated a density of just over 3 groups per km2, which is considered high. The BCP will conduct further research to determine how orangutans adapt to living in logging forests and to the varying degrees of disturbance. Further studies on gibbons will also survey the wider area and the estimated territory and cruising areas, study group composition as well as changes in habitat conditions between seasons.

We hope to provide you with new and exciting findings from Belantikan as we start to find out more about its forests and what lives within.

We are extremely grateful to The Rufford Foundation and to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Great Ape Conservation Fund for supporting this research project, and to the Arcus Foundation for supporting the on-going conservation project.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation and Yayorin (Belantikan Conservation Programme)

Our Orangutan Veterinary and Rescue Team managed to rescue another wild orangutan yesterday from the village of  Pendulangan, which is close to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Borneo.

We were already aware of the presence of the adult male orangutan because the village had seen it hanging around, stealing fruit from their trees and on one occasion it even wandered into the village’s kindergarten.  Fortunately, we have a good relationship with the village and we worked with them to try to live side by side with the orangutan. However, it became clear the orangutan was becoming more troublesome and the villagers could no longer tolerate the situation.

The orangutan proved tricky to capture as he climbed up into the tree tops. It was made more complicated because he was so close to the village – we had to avoid injury to both ape and humans.  Eventually, he was darted and after being weighed he was taken directly to the offices of BKSDA. Our vet, Dr Fikri, is examining him today and all being well hopefully he can be translocated to the Reserve in the next day or so.

We are sad to report that the pregnant female orangutan, who had been chained up by her foot, has not survived. Worryingly, the same plantation have another 20 to 30 orangutans in need of rescue. See earlier blog Worrying trend – another orangutan rescued.

Since January we have been receiving an increasing number of requests to rescue wild orangutans and move them to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Indonesian Borneo.  Within the last week we have rescued 2 adult male orangutans. These rescues not only demand extra staff time but are expensive and present a challenge especially at a time when we are having to make major cut backs in the UK and some in the field.

The first orangutan was reported in a community-owned plantation in Mendawai Seberang.  The owner said that the orangutan who was wandering round his plantation was a male. The Foundation team visited the plantation, which is a mixture of rubber, pineapple and oil palm.

Mixed Crop Plantation – the dominant vegetation is rubber and pineapple

In the rubber trees old and new orangutan nests were seen.

Orangutan nests found in the rubber trees

There was also the visible remnants of crop damage for example pineapple fruits that had been eaten by the orangutan. After a few hours of trying to find the orangutans, the team gave up.

Pineapple Fruit eaten by orangutan

About 5 days later the plantation owner telephoned us again because the orangutan was still causing damage to his crops.  Our team left for the plantation immediately and found the large adult male.

Orangutan in tree

Dr Fikri, our vet began preparing the anesthesia which he  administered by using a blowpipe, which was generously funded by Colchester Zoo’s Action for the Wild.

Drug Preparation

The orangutan was successfully darted first time.

Photos above: orangutan has been sedated

Weighing  and medical examination of orangutan

Orangutan in the Cage

After conducting health checks to ensure that no injury had occurred he was put into the cage. All rescued animals must be taken to the BKSDA (wildlife department) office.

Orangutan taken from the Plantation

Orangutan transfer to kelotok 

Orangutan at the BKSDA Office

Orangutan in Move to Kelotok

Last Friday, 11^th May, the male was released into the Reserve. This involved having to transfer the 65 kg orangutan from the pick-up truck into a Kelotok (motorised canoe).  The river levels in the reserve were extremely low so it was decided that the orangutan should be released from the canoe rather than trying to lift the cage out and carrying to the forest.  As soon as the cage was opened the wild orangutan climbed straight out and up into the tree and moved off into the forest.

Orangutan in tree

Orangutan free in the trees

The second rescue occurred 2 days ago from an oil palm plantation near the village of Amin Jaya. It was another adult male, about 15 years old.  More details and photos to follow shortly.

Thank you for your continued support and thank you Carol Ritchie for you lovely email!

Orangutan Foundation

RELEASE ORANGUTAN

Photo 23. Orangutan From the BKSDA Office to the Karang Anyar

Photo 24. Orangutan in Move to Kelotok

Photo 25. Orangutan in Release I

Photo 26. Orangutan in Release II

Photo 27. Orangutan in the Trees I

Photo 28. Orangutan in the Trees II

The Orangutan Foundation team left the port town of Pangkalan Bun late morning and arrived at the village of Bayat four hours later. After some discussion with the villagers we saw the leopard cub which was being stored in a cardboard box and was silent and motionless.

 Dr Fikri, the Orangutan Foundation’s vet, examining the cub being held by villagers

Information obtained from the villagers was that leopard cub was found at night on the road leading to the iron ore mining site.  They saw the mother clouded leopard walking across the road carrying her cub in her mouth.  When the iron ore vehicles passed they must have startled the mother who dropped her cub and ran away.  It is thought that the vehicle hit the cub, though very lightly.  The iron ore mining vehicles were heading to the port of Pangkalan Bun.

The people of Bayat village had been looking after the cub for 2 days before we arrived.

Orangutan Foundation vet with the cub

Baby clouded leopard weak and silent

Cub not able to walk

The good news is that the cub is progressing well and is in pretty good health. Initially it was always unsteady when standing and its walking wasn’t normal.  It had problems with both hind legs. This pain seems to have now gone and its walking is normal and sometimes it even climbs the wall of its cage.

Cub alert and seems healthy

It is eating and drinking. Its current weight is ± 2 Kg. Looking at the husbandry manual on the Clouded Leopard Project website this suggests its age may be between 60 and 90 days old.  It is still very early days for the cub.  More news to follow soon…

Thank you

Orangutan Foundation

Please consider a donation to support our work by visiting our website or bid on a Gary Hodge’s print that is being auction in aid of the Foundation. Thank you!

Aceh Judge slammed over Indonesian court’s inability to make a just ruling over simple legal case.

Read full press release here and sign an online petition to enforce the law protecting Tripa Peat Swamp and its orangutan populations.

Please support this important action.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation

Tree where the wild orangutan fled to and climbed up

This post illustrates the important work of the Indonesian Government’s Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources and the Orangutan Foundation but it highlights the chronic problem that Indonesia is facing:  increasing numbers of wild orangutans that are being encountered and needing rescue as their habitat continues to be destroyed and fragmented.  

One quick and simple way to support our work, that won’t cost you anything, is to vote for us in the Animal Friends Pet Insurance Facebook Challenge – if Orangutan Foundation gets the most votes we will win £5,000. We urgently need these funds to support our work in Indonesian Borneo.

Rescue team trying to capture the orangutan - Orangutan Foundation

Last month, after coordination with BKSDA SKW II we visited the village of Natai Raya, close to the Port of Kumai. We had heard there was an isolated female orangutan that was eating fruit from the villager’s backyards. Capturing and moving wild orangutans is always a last resort as it is risky for both the apes and humans and it is also very expensive. However, it was clear that in this case the orangutan needed to be removed from the village. There was a small swampy area with a few small trees but no fruit trees and on the other side of the swamp was an oil palm plantation.  

Wild female orangutan high in tree -Orangutan Foundation

The next day the rescue team made up from BKSDA SKW II staff and the Orangutan Foundation vet Dr Fikri, Uduk (Assistant Orangutan Release Manager) and Pak Tigor headed to the village to capture and trans-locate the orangutan. After 7 failed attempts to catch the orangutan she fled into the swamp and climbed a tree.

Wild female Bornean orangutan - Orangutan Foundation

The team decided to leave the village and return a few days later with more Orangutan Foundation staff to help. Finally, after a co-ordinated effort by all, the orangutan was isolated in one tree and was darted and safely rescued.

Orangutan being weighed - Orangutan Foundation

Veterinary checks on darted wild orangutan - Orangutan Foundation

OF Vet Team attending darted wild orangutan - Orangutan Foundation

DrFikri immediately performed the necessary health checks and the orangutan was taken to the BKSDA SKW II office in Pangkalan Bun.

Orangutan Foundation vet, Dr Fikri with darted orangutan -Orangutan Foundation

Darted orangutan being taken away from the village - Orangutan Foundation

Orangutan being taken to BKSDA office in Pangkalan Bun - Orangutan Foundation

The next day the orangutan was transported by klotok (longboat) to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.

Orangutan, awake and alert, being transported to the wildlife reserve - Orangutan Foundation

Heading into the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve - Orangutan Foundation

Arriving at Camp Mangkung, site for the release of translocated orangutans - Orangutan Foundation

Wild orangutan being taken to a safe release site - Orangutan Foundation

She was released at Camp Mangkung, a site established specifically for trans-located orangutans. 

Time to go back to the wild -Orangutan Foundation

Orangutan Foundation staff followed the orangutan for 14 days to ensure she was fit and well ans that there were no problems arising because of the trans-location.

There's a released wild orangutan in there somewhere! Orangutan Foundation

Mission accomplished.... all photos by Orangutan Foundation

Thank you to BKSDA SKW II and to Colchester Zoo Action for the Wild for the support of our Veterinary Programme and for funding the blow pipes and darts.

 Please consider a donation to support our vital work.

 Thank you,

 Orangutan Foundation

Dr Fikri, our vet sent through this report about the rescue of an infant orangutan.

At the end of July our Reintroduction Team received a called from Pak Anton, the head of the Agency for Conservation of Natural Resources, BKSDA SKW II. He had received a request from a large oil palm concession in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) about some orangutans isolated on the plantation, which will need to be trans-located.

Based on this, a team from the Orangutan Foundation and BKSDA planned to visit the plantation which is owned by Borneo Citra Indah.

Infant orphaned orangutan at an oil palm plantation

Before leaving for the plantation, a ranger from Tanjung Puting National Park informed us about an infant orangutan, approximately one year old, on the plantation but in a different area.  According to the plantation staff, who had been caring for the orangutan for two days, it came from villagers living around the plantation. Apparently they found it without its mother.

Little orangutan Steph in the crate at the oil palm plantation mess

BKSDA's pick-up driving through the plantation

After health checks at the local BKSDA facility it was decided the infant orangutan should be taken to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.

Steph in boat with Dr Fikri, Orangutan Foundation vet

In speedboat with Dr Fikri, Orangutan Foundation vet

Heading back into the forest - familiar sights, sounds and smells for Steph

The infant has been named Steph, after Steph Brown a long-term and commited supporter of the Orangutan Foundation. Little Steph will be cared for by our field staff at Camp Rasak. Considering Steph’s ordeal she is in good health.

Steph being offered milk at Camp Rasak

Her weight at the end of September was 4 kg, a 1kg gain in weight since she was first found.

Please help us to safeguard this important protected area, provide care for these orangutans and ensure a future in the wild for these endangered great apes.

Thank you,

Dr Fikri and the Orangutan Foundation team

Yesterday, Ashley Leiman, the Orangutan Foundation’s director, was in Jakarta for the launch of a new UNEP report which explains why investing in forests is win-win for communities, climate and orangutan conservation.  Read the report, Orangutans and the economics of sustainable forest management in sumatra   

Male Sumatran Orangutan – photo by Gail Campbell-Smith