Orangutan Foundation

Support our work and have your donation doubled at 10am on the 6th, 7th and 8th December at http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/project/HabitatProtection

The wild male orangutan, who was captured last week in the village of Pendulangan (read previous post), has now been moved to the safety of the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.  Our vet, Dr Fikri, and our Reserve Manager, PakTigor, said the orangutan (who they have named Gagah – meaning handsome) was very agile, nimble and smart and so trying to dart and capture him was very challenging. Fortunately, Pak Uduk, our Assistant Manager, is a very able tree climber and is a good shot with the anaesthetic blowpipe. Eventally, he darted Gagah at the top of a tree. After a few minutes, when Gagah started to look weak, Pak Uduk and the team approached and managed to reach the orangutan’s hand. They led him slowly down from the tree.

The next day, Gagah was examined by Dr Fikri at the BKSDA office in Pangkalan Bun. Gagah is thought to be ± 20 years old and his cheek-pads are about 7 cm wide.  He is certainly one very handsome orangutan!

Gagah was given a clean bill of health and it was decided to release him in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve. During the journey Gagah looked nervous, often sound and shaking the cage, the whole time looking at the surrounding forests.

By late morning, the team had arrived at Camp Buluh, the site where Gagah was to be released. Due to heavy rains, Gagah had to wait in his cage for a few hours. Eventually the rain eased off and Gahah was finally released.  He immediately ran, very fast, to a tree and then moved to a more distant tree to leave the release team behind. In a very short time he was out of sight.

Please help us safeguard the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve to ensure a future for Gagah. Your donation can be worth double with the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2012!

Save the date: 10am (UK time) 6th, 7th and 8th December

Your donations can only be doubled, online, at the link below:

 http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/project/HabitatProtection

As the UN Year of the Forests 2011 draws to a close Arif Nugroho, the manager of Pondok Ambung Tropical forest Research Station in Tanjung Puting National Park (Central kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo), has sent this interesting report (which is almost poetic in parts) with images about some of the rarer treasures of the rainforest. Over to Arif …….

Welcome the rainy season, welcome beautiful colorful mushrooms

At the beginning of rainy season, we felt spoilt when walking in the forest. There were many different colorful mushrooms, some with striking colors such as bright yellow or orange. They looked like little umbrellas in the ground – so beautiful.

Mushrooms found at Pondok Ambung

Mushroom found at Pondok Ambung - Tanjung Puting National Park

While collecting data on the vegetation with Mas’ud Ashari, a student from the Forestry Faculty at Gajah Mada University, Jogjakarta we found many species of mushrooms. We couldn’t identify them but took images of them. Classification of fungi is always suffering from contradictions because there is a lack of complete knowledge about all the fungal organisms. There is little information reported about mushrooms in Borneo, especially in Pondok Ambung. So the aim of the present investigation was to identify the wild mushroom in Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station. We found at least 12 different species of wild mushrooms, even if we didn’t identify yet. (Please leave a comment if you can help!).

Frogs: Wildlife under canopy

Night tracking. Walk slowly into forest. Smelling the soil after the rain and listening to nature’s voices. So peaceful. Light your torch around you and find some eyes glowing. Yup, that is way to see a beautiful frog, wildlife under canopy.

Rough-sided Tree Frog

Dark-eared Tree Frog

Collet's Tree frog

Butterflies Covering the Ground

Tanjung Puting National Park (TNTP), has peat swamp forests and  orangutans are a key species. The National Park attracts many tourists mainly to see the orangutans. But there is still lots of other biodiversity. We  are trying to explore  and the more we do we discover awesome wildlife.

Idea Hypermnestra

This month looks like a butterflies’ moon. They are so easy to find and watch. On a river bank, among the leaf litter and twigs of trees, there are  various kinds of colorful butterflies. I watched one. Flapping its wings occasionally to shift places, then pauses as if she were sipping something from the soil. I crawled over. Trying to enjoy every detail of its beauty. Wings have colorful patterns and sometimes seem complicated. Some of them show a striking hue. Others are just black and white only. But the pattern remains fascinating.

Based on my observations, the butterflies are very easily found on the edge of the river. Precisely on lands moist but still exposed to sunlight. Several others were observed at the lower canopy of trees or perched in the foliage. I also found butterflies gathered in soil doused with smelling material, like soapy water or rotten fruit.

Check my article (In Bahasa Indonesian) about butterfly of Pondok Ambung TNTP in Biodiversitas Indonesia Magazine Vol. 1 No. 2 Th. 2011. Magazine can be downloaded for free here.

Researching Western Tarsier in Pondok Ambung

Masud  Ashari,  the student from Forestry Faculty, Gajah Mada University, Jogjakarta is at Pondok Ambung to research the population and distribution of the Western Tarsier (Tarsius bancanus Horsfield, 1821) in the lowland forest habitat of Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station and Tanjung Harapan, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan.

Tarsius bancanus

Over 15 days he made 11 transects line and 23 plots of vegetation analysis and recorded 8 points of Tarsiers. This wasn’t actual observations but encountering their smell. Tarsiers produce a secretion from a gland aroung their genitals for marking their homerange. Each point recorded shared similar characteristics. Sapling trees up to pole size, moderate to high vegetation density, temperature between 24-27 ° C, and humidity between 60-65%. Tarsier prefer this habitat because the conditions allow for easy locomotion (leaping between treest), feeding, playing, perching to prey etc.

Thank you,

Arif

More news on orangutans later this week…

Please support our work by making a donation today via our website or by calling 0044 (0)20 7724 2912 – thank you.

Today is Blog Action Day 2011 and the theme is food.  So what does food have to do with orangutans? Quite a lot.   Our production of food, to feed a growing human population, has a huge impact on tropical forests, biodiversity and also on the great red ape.

Our last post told about an infant orangutan that was rescued from an oil palm plantation.  These subjects, palm oil and orangutans, seem to go hand in hand now days.  The issue is highly sensitive, emotive and complicated.  Palm oil, which is extracted from the oil palm kernel, is used as a fuel or is a common ingredient in soaps, candles and numerous cosmetic products. It is also found in many different processed foods.  For example, in Europe, it is found in up to half of packaged food products.

The balance between the need to feed our planet’s increasing human population (Indonesia is already well past the 230 million mark, China and India, both major importers of palm oil, have a combined human population of over 2.5 billion) and the need to safeguard the carbon-rich lowland forests of Indonesia and Malaysia (the two countries which produce the most palm oil) is a huge challenge. But it is one we must tackle if there is to be a future for orangutans, forests and people.

The problem can feel overwhelming. But in order to make progress it has to be looked at properly,  broken down and dealt with piece by piece. For example, a small yet effective initiative that the Orangutan Foundation support is the promotion of small-scale agro-forestry by  an Indonesian organisation, Yayorin.    By encouraging local farmers to adopt a sustainable, organic way of farming, as oppose to traditional  forest clearance by slash and burn or instead of farmers selling their land to an oil palm concession, forest loss has been reduced and orangutan habitat saved.

Consumers can also play their part by choosing which products they buy.  For example, avoiding those with palm oil or only buying if the the palm oil contained within is certified as sustainable.  A recent campaign we were involved with saw the European Parliament vote in favour of compulsory labelling of palm oil in food products in Europe.  This now allows consumer choice but will also help drive demand for certified sustainable palm oil.

Small-scale agro-forestry and wise consumerism are small but important steps being taken to address the problem.

Find out more about our work at www.orangutan.org.uk

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation

In July, we said goodbye to Devis, our Tropical Forest Research Station Manager. Devis had worked for us for five years and though he will be greatly missed we know Pondok Ambung will remain in good hands.

Devis in the middle being hugged by Pak Hudi, our Programme Co-ordinator

Arif (in green t-shirt), our new Manager of Pondok Ambung

We are delighted to welcome Arif Nugroho.  An avid birdwatcher and nature lover – Arif has so far seen a Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga), Western tarsier (Tarsius bancanus)…

Tarsius

…as well as the many of the beautiful bird species found in the park.

Red-headed tailorbird (Ashy Tailorbird)

White rumped Shama

Scarlet-rumped Trogon

Brown-throated Sunbird (Plain-throated)

Since his arrival in August, Arif has given the field station and its klotok (long-boat) a fresh look, repairing rotten boards and adding a new lick of paint. Though the bad news is the klotok only has about 6 month of life left in it, at the most!

Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station is a joint collaboration between the Tanjung Puting National Park Authority and the Orangutan Foundation. Researchers or Universities in interested in studying here should contact the Orangutan Foundation.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

I have been running the Orangutan Foundation’s Volunteer Programme for 4 years now, and remain proud to be doing so. I have visited the Programme a couple of times since my first participation in 2001 and I am as blown away by the experience now as I was then!

Originally set up as a method of bolstering our field operations whilst offering individuals the opportunity to actively help and experience a unique lifestyle in Borneo, it continues to be an unbridled success. Its achievements to-date include; a number of guard and patrol posts in Tanjung Puting National Park and the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve; an orangutan release camp; provision of clean drinking water to villages in the Belantikan Hulu region; and the Pondok Ambung Tropical Forest Research Station , to name but a few!

2009 Volunteer Team with Orangutan Foundation staff

One of the things I love most about the Programme is its transparency – all money paid by volunteers goes into their project that year, paying not only for the volunteer food and accommodation but also for the Indonesian staff, work tools and materials. Oh, and it is brilliant fun for everyone who takes part! The fact that we have had the same staff involved for years and that a significant number of volunteers return to Borneo speaks for itself.

2010 sees the Volunteer Programme enter its 11^th year and we continue with our winning formula – teams of 12 people go out for a 6 week period and live a basic lifestyle, helping with manual labour and construction work to aid our field operations.

Camp Mangkung, built and painted by volunteers in 2008 

In 2008, the Volunteer Programme built the Lamandau reserve’s 6th orangutan release camp, called Camp Mangkung. It consists of a kitchen and storeroom, accommodation rooms, office and orangutan holding cage. Mangkung was recently designated as an official site for the release of translocated orangutans – meaning that wild healthy orangutans directly threaten by habitat destruction (eg from a palm oil plantation, like female orangutan Memes), can be moved and will be released at Camp Mangkung.

During the dry season or times of low rain, river access to Camp Mangkung is impossible and so we need to build a boardwalk so that we have reliable access to the site. This will be the focus of the 2010 project – thus there will be high levels of chiselling, sawing and hammering….plus some digging!

John a volunteer from Team 2 in 2009 with a little helping paw!

If you want to spend a unique 6 weeks doing something worthwhile for orangutan conservation, make friends for life and see orangutans in the wild, then why not make this the year to join us?

What all the hard work is for!

Dates for the 2010 Programme are:

Team 1 – 1^st May to 12^th June

Team 2 – 26^th June to 7^th August

Please note that it is extremely likely that we will be running a 3rd team from, 21^st August. This will be confirmed within the next couple of weeks on our website.

Further information may be found in the 2010 Volunteer Programme Brochure on our website.

Elly – Orangutan Foundation Development and Volunteer Co-ordinator