Helping orangutans through the young<\/p>\n
M. Onny Setiawan, Contributor, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan<\/p>\n
When asked who has ever seen an orangutan, most of the
\nstudents in the class raised their hands. But Mochammad Iqbal was
\nquick to stand up and answer.<\/p>\n
\"Orangutans have red fur. They have a big body and no tail,\"
\nthe five grader said confidently.<\/p>\n
His precise and spontaneous response attracted Jeane Mandala,
\na staff member of the Orangutan Reintroduction Center (PRO)
\nWanariset Samboja in Balikpapan who came to 028 elementary school
\nin Teluk Lingga, Kutai with her colleague Sicillia Leiwakabessy
\nto disseminate information on the endangered species.<\/p>\n
Jeane then asked the boy where he had seen an orangutan (Pongo
\npygmaeus).<\/p>\n
\"I saw it when I went to the forest near my house with my
\nfather,\" Mochammad answered.<\/p>\n
In their visit to the school, the two gave information to the
\nstudents on how orangutans should be treated, to give them a
\nchance to live and grow in their own natural habitat.<\/p>\n
And they got a positive response from the students who, full
\nof curiosity, bombarded them with lots of questions.<\/p>\n
\"Why do orangutan like to climb trees?\" asked Yuliana. \"How do
\norangutans carry their babies?\" another student, Yeni Fransiska,
\nasked. \"How many years does an orangutan take to raise its
\nbaby?\", or \"Are orangutans able to feel sad?\" were other
\nquestions asked by the students.<\/p>\n
Patiently, the two answered each question, while at the same
\ntime, passing on information about conservation to the children.<\/p>\n
\"We target children because the success of the whole campaign
\nto let orangutans live safely in their natural habitat depends on
\nthem,\" Jeane said.<\/p>\n
\"Children are the assets of the future. We want them to
\ninherit a good environment when they grow up.\"<\/p>\n
Still, both Jeane and Sicillia were amazed by the students'
\nprobing questions. \"They asked questions like researchers,\"
\nSicillia said.<\/p>\n
At times, Jeane started with simple questions, like where do
\norangutans live and she then answered that they live in the
\nforest. Then, she added that it would be wrong to let an
\norangutan live in a person's house, stressing that orangutans
\nshould not be taken as pets.<\/p>\n
Then through a projector, Jeane showed them where and how
\norangutans live. After watching the display, the students
\nrealized that orangutans sleep in trees, not in comfy beds like
\nhumans.<\/p>\n
The three-day programs were conducted in several elementary
\nschools in Kutai Timur Regency, jointly funded by PRO Wanariset
\nBalikpapan and PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), Sanggata.<\/p>\n
The schools include 011 elementary school Teluk Lingga and
\nYayasan Pendidikan Prima Swarga Bara (YPPSB) elementary school in
\nSwarga Bara, Sangatta.<\/p>\n
\"This is the first program KPC has sponsored this year. We
\nwant children living in Sangatta to know the true facts about
\norangutans directly from experts and what we can do to save
\nthem,\" said Imanuel Manege, superintendent of KPC's site
\nreclamation.<\/p>\n
The campaign covered several areas in East Kalimantan. A week
\nbefore the program in Teluk Lingga, the team conducted a similar
\ncampaign in Teluk Pandan, a village near Kutai National Park,
\nsome 280 kilometers north of Balikpapan. After this program, they
\nwould go to Muara Wahau, a remote area some 450 km north west of
\nBalikpapan.<\/p>\n
During the campaigns, the two PRO staff used various methods
\nto attract students, such as by distributing booklets and books
\non orangutans. \"We even hired local artists to draw pictures for
\nthe booklets and the story books,\" explained Jeane.<\/p>\n
Sicillia even performed a puppet show for the students. For
\nthe show, she brought an adult orangutan puppet called Pongi and
\nsmaller one called Pongi Junior.<\/p>\n
Acting as a puppet master, Sicillia raised questions through
\nthe toys. \"Pongi\", for instance, asked students why do people
\nchase after orangutans. The students' answers were varied: due to
\nits fur, or simply because the young ones look cute.<\/p>\n
Sicillia and Jeane then provided more information for the
\nstudents, \"Orangutans are solitary animals, they do not live in
\ngroups.\"<\/p>\n
\"Unlike bears, tigers or snakes, orangutans do not attack
\npeople. They just react when they feel insecure,\" Sicillia said.<\/p>\n
They also told the students bitter facts that some people
\nchase orangutans, mainly the young ones simply because they look
\ncute and since they are easily trained.<\/p>\n
\"Other reasons why people chase orangutans are to trade or
\nkill them, keeping their remains, like skulls, as souvenirs,\"
\nJeane said.<\/p>\n
\"And to get a baby orangutan, people have to kill at least two
\ngrown-up orangutans.\"<\/p>\n
Sicillia and Jeane also explained what people in PRO Wanariset
\nSamboja do to help save orangutans, stressing that they still
\nneed help from others to help the endangered species survive.<\/p>\n
The campaign was welcomed by many, including teachers.<\/p>\n
\"Facts about orangutans are valuable for us. Sometimes
\nteachers find it difficult to tell their students what they can
\ndo for the environment without accurate data,\" said Lastri, a
\nschool teacher of 028 elementary school.<\/p>\n
But, did the students really get the message?<\/p>\n
\"Before, I thought of an orangutan as a wild animal. Now I
\nknow it only attacks people when it is in danger so we shouldn't
\ndisturb them,\" Mochammad Iqbal said after the class was over.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/helping-orangutans-through-the-young-1447893297",
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