Orangutan Foundation

Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutans, Rehabilitation | Date: Aug 21 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

Huge thanks to Rachel and Kees for donating and personally delivering two digital cameras and err…some fudge (very tasty!). The cameras are now being used in Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve by Dr Fikri, our vet and Mr Tigor, Manager of Orangutan Re-introduction Programme (see photos below of orangutan Lady Di and her infant).

 From left to right: Dr Fiqri (vet), Rees, Pak Uduk (helps to manage the orangutan release camps) and Rachel.  

Bornean female orangutan, Lady Di with bandaged arm.

A mother’s love - Lady Di and her infant

Lady Di with bandage removed from her arm -now fully recovered and roaming free

Thanks,

June

 p/s  lighting actually struck the office the other day, luckily we had our plugs pulled at that time. Terrible rainstorm which means less computer productivity but on the bright side it lessens the risk of forest fires.

Tags: forest habitat, orangutan, photos, reintroduction

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutans, Rehabilitation, Uncategorized | Date: Jul 24 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

July is a month which makes those of us working in Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve happy because one orangutan has been born. Dedek, gave birth to a son and this is her second son after Delon. Based on information from staff in Camp JL, Dedek gave birth on July 10, 2009. Camp JL staff first saw Dedek, with her son, under the feeding platform around 3pm.

Dedek and her newborn son born on July 10th 2009. Photo:Orangutan Foundation 

Dedek’s son looks well. We estimated that Dedek gave birth during the day because in the morning Dedek still came to feeding platform.

Newborn male orangutan.  Photo: Orangutan Foundation

Before Dedek was pregnant and during pregnancy she always played with Jalas, dominant male orangutan in JL Camp. Dedek never plays with other males only Jalas. Other male orangutans are afraid of Jalas. So we predict that Dedek’s son is Jalas’s son. Dedek and her son are well . Dedek was released in October 2002 at Camp JL. Camp staff have not decided on a name yet but it is likely to be Indonesian and staring with “D”!

Please support our work protecting these orangutans and their forest home helping to ensure they spend the rest of their life in the wild.

Thank you Tal B, Brigitta S and Matthew K for your monthly donations.

Thank you,

Dr Fiqri

Tags: Borneo, orangutan, Orangutan Foundation, reproduction

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Category: Belantikan Conservation Programme, Local Communities, Orangutans, Volunteer Programme, Yayorin | Date: Jul 21 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

You’re probably aware that the Orangutan Foundation runs a Volunteer Programme (see Categories for past posts) 

This year’s programme has been different in that we are working closely with our partners Yayorin on a water purification project in the Belantikan Arut region of Central Kalimantan. Belantikan is home to the largest remaning population of orangutans in an unprotected area and is a biodiversity hotspot. 

Our strategy involves community empowerment, education and agricultural management to help villagers protect their forests. This year’s Volunteer Programme fits in by working with the local communities and further improving our relationship with them, whilst gaining their respect and providing villagers with a cleaner, safer water-source.  Each team will work in a different village. At each village, a natural spring has been identified as an alternative source to the river which is currently used for transport, bathing, washing and as a toilet. The teams build a dam to harness the spring water and then a pipe system takes it down to the village.

Climbing back up to the jetty after a hard days work 

Team 1 ended on 13^th June and the village of Nanga Matu (home to Yayorin’s basecamp) now has taps providing clean water from a natural hillside spring on the other side of the river. The construction was no mean feat and massive thanks go to the hardworking volunteers and Volunteer Co-ordinators who made the project succeed.   Team 2 is already well into their work in the village of Bintang Mengalih and I was there to see the project commence. The team are living in a small community house where personal space is non- existent, and the movements and activities of us visitors is of most interest to the locals.

Volunteers are treated to a traditional party by a local village 

Whilst there, I encountered leeches, a scorpion, poisonous millipedes and lots of peat. Bathing is in a nearby river and we dug a long-drop toilet behind the accommodation. Before work began we had to go the village hall and formally meet the village head and some local villagers.

Local children were keen to “hang out” with the volunteers. 

The village were so appreciative of our work that they provided us with four local people to help on the project. They really were very excited and grateful about the work of Orangutan Foundation.  By 8^th August Bintang Mengalih will have clean water to drink at the turn of a tap!!

Thanks, 

Elly (UK Volunteer Co-ordinator)

Tags: Borneo, communities, orangutan, Volunteer

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 16 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

Please excuse another non-field related post but I’d like to say a huge thank you to Kate and Micky Walsarie Wolff who run a B&B called L’Orée des Bois (www.chambres-charente.com) in France.

Kate and Micky, members of the Orangutan Foundation, visited Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo a few years ago. It was Micky’s first trip back to Indonesia in 50 years. The trip inspired them to get involved and help and so on Saturday they held an Indonesian evening in aid of the Orangutan Foundation.

I was lucky to be in a position to go along to the evening and sample the delicious authentic Indonesian cuisine on offer, such as my favourite dish Gado-Gado.

All the food was prepared and cooked by their family who drove all the way from Holland!

The evening ended with a raffle and everyone was very generous in buying plenty of tickets. Thank you to La Vallee des Singes who provided the first prize and thank you Kate and Micky!

Cathy - Orangutan Foundation UK office.

Tags: fundraising, Indonesia, orangutan

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutan Foundation Staff, Orangutans | Date: Jun 09 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

On the 19th of May, 2009, the staff of Camp Rusak, Lamandau Wildlife Reserve noticed something funny about one of the orangutans in their area – Lady Di seemed to be dragging her arm, and not using it at all. They were very concerned, particularly since she is still caring for her young infant, and so immediately informed our vet via radio call. When Dr. Fiqri arrived, Lady Di went up to him, as if to say, “I have a broken arm, could you please fix it?” She then clambered voluntarily onto his back for the walk back to the Camp.

Lady Di and her infant in a holding cage, Camp Rusak. Note her left arm hanging down. Photo Orangutan Foundation.

Indeed her left arm was broken, and Dr. Fiqri initially tried to keep the arm in place with plaster.

Lady Di and her infant, Camp Rusak, Lamandau. Photo: Orangutan Foundation

However Lady Di had other plans for the plaster. Dr. Fiqri had a shock when he saw Lady Di later with bits of plasters all over her mouth, thinking that she was foaming at the mouth!

It was clear that they needed to get her arm x-rayed to ascertain the damage. Lady Di was taken into the Pangkalan Bun hospital, x-rayed, and under Dr. Fiqri’s supervision, later had her arm bandaged.

Pak Dian, Camp Rusak Manager (in blue), reassuring Lady Di. Photo:Orangutan Foundation

Lady Di at Pangkalan Bun hospital for an x-ray of her arm. Camp Rusak manager, Pak Dian and camp assistant with her. Photo: Orangutan Foundation

She was then brought back to Camp Rusak, where our staff are keeping an attentive watch on her.

It is likely that she had broken her arm by grabbing a branch that was not strong enough for her weight. Indeed she had some superficial cuts on her forehead that possibly supports this hypothesis. Thankfully, her infant was not harmed in any way, and aside from a broken arm that is well on the mend, Lady Di is doing very well.

Help us to look after these orangutans – please contribute anyway you can via Wildlife Direct. Thank you so much!

June

Programmes Manager

Tags: Borneo, orangutan, vet

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Orangutans, Other wildlife, Uncategorized | Date: Apr 24 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

Chris and Maina in answer to your question about Lamandau’s carry capacity. Surveys took place in 1997/8, when Lamandau was gazetted, revealing an insignificant wild orangutan population. The Lamandau camp managers have always kept a record of every orangutan sighted and based on what we know we believe Lamandau has the capacity to take at least another 100 released orangutans.

This may be of interest to some readers. The Bornean Wild Cat and Clouded Leopard Project blogged yesterday that they have obtained their first photograph of a flat-headed cat.

‘This is the first time this species has been photographed within the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve and this record means that the Ulu Segama is the first known forest on Borneo where there is definitive evidence of the existence of the entire 5-species Bornean felid guild.’

To follow their blog please click on this link http://borneanwildcat.blogspot.com/2009/04/flat-headed-cat-photographed-in-danum.html

Tags: Borneo, flat-headed cat, orangutan

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Category: Guard posts and patrols, Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutans, Uncategorized | Date: Apr 14 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

Dr. Fikri, our new vet who works specifically for the released orangutans in Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, put orangutan Zidane on a special weight gain diet last month. We are happy to tell you that Zidane has gained 3 kg and he is getting stronger each day.

Our on-going protection for Lamandau continues with regular patrols, and this month, the patrol team led by Pak Jak (Patrol Manager of Lamandau Ecosystem Conservation Partnership) installed billboards on all the Lamandau guard posts to help enforce no-burning in the Reserve. (This short update was sent by June Rubis, who is taking over from Stephen this month)

Matthew K, thanks as always for your monthly donation.

Many thanks,

Cathy - Orangutan Foundation

Tags: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, orangutan, vet

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutan Foundation Staff, Orangutans, Rehabilitation, Uncategorized | Date: Apr 07 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

Newman the orangutan was released at Camp Siswoyo however he currently prefers to hang around at a different camp in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Camp Gemini.

Newman - Bornean orangutan

Newman is quite a “naughty” orangutan and camp staff have to be on their guard, especially around the door to the food supply. One morning Newman tried to open a closed door so the camp staff have affectionally nicknamed him “Kutu Camp” (in Indonesian ‘kutu’ means a fan or something you really like) for all his antics.

Currently every night, Newman sleeps around Camp Gemini, and early in the morning, he ambles after the staff for feeding. He knows that he’ll not get fed in camp, only at the feeding site. After the feeding, instead of heading off like the other orangutans, Newman then follows the staff back to camp to continue his daily routine, which includes annoying the camp staff! This is a light hearted story about one of the orangutans I have encountered so far, I hope to bring you some more soon.

Thank you,

Dr Fikri - Lamdandau Vet

Tags: Borneo, orangutan, Rehabilitation

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Lamdandau Vet, Orangutan Foundation Staff, Orangutans, Rehabilitation, Uncategorized | Date: Mar 10 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

On Sunday we were back at Camp Buluh, one of our orangutan release camps in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, where we caught up with the orangutan Zidane. He is still very thin but his hair is coming back and, most importantly, he was bright-eyed and very active.

Zidane - a healthier looking orangutan.

He watched me wash my hands and then sidled over for a drink. A more boisterous orangutan (like Barita who was watching from a distance) would have tried to snatch the bucket himself but not Zidane, he waited for the water to be scooped out and poured into his mouth.

Zidane (orangutan) and Stephen.

Barita - the more bositerous orangutan.

Sheryl asked what was involved in a “weight-gain” diet. Because Zidane readily drinks milk, Dr. Fikri has bought a supply of high-protein/high-carbohydrate formula. On top of that, the staff are making sure he eats whenever he wants to and so carry extra rations just for him. The trick is in balancing the amount of nutritious formula he receives against giving him too much, which will end up acting as an appetite suppressant. It is important that he keeps on eating.

If you can help us purchase digital cameras for Mr Tigor (Orangutan Reintroduction Programme Manager) and Dr Fikri (new Lamandau vet) we would be most grateful. I simply can not get into Lamandau often enough to monitor Zidane and the other orangutans’ progress but, like I am sure you do to, I am keen to see how they are getting on.

Many thanks,

Stephen

Zidane watching as we leave. All photos by Astri Siregar

Tags: Borneo, orangutan, Rehabilitation

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Category: Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine, Orangutans, Uncategorized | Date: Feb 16 2009 | By: orangutanfoundation

I am very pleased to be able to tell you that Zidane was re-release at Camp Buluh, in Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, on 19 January. His recovery is down to the excellent care (which included two blood transfusions) he received from the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine facility.

Zidane - male orangutan re-released into Lamandau

Though Zidane appears happy to be back in the forest, he is being monitored very closely as he is still perilously thin. We obviously want to do all in our power to ensure he spends the rest of his life in the forest and so our new vet, Dr Fikri, has been tasked to develop a special dietary regime for him to ensure he gains weight. We’ll keep you updated on his progress.

Tags: Borneo, orangutan, Rehabilitation

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