Helping orangutans through the young

M. Onny Setiawan, Contributor, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan

When asked who has ever seen an orangutan, most of the students in the class raised their hands. But Mochammad Iqbal was quick to stand up and answer.

"Orangutans have red fur. They have a big body and no tail," the five grader said confidently.

His precise and spontaneous response attracted Jeane Mandala, a staff member of the Orangutan Reintroduction Center (PRO) Wanariset Samboja in Balikpapan who came to 028 elementary school in Teluk Lingga, Kutai with her colleague Sicillia Leiwakabessy to disseminate information on the endangered species.

Jeane then asked the boy where he had seen an orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus).

"I saw it when I went to the forest near my house with my father," Mochammad answered.

In their visit to the school, the two gave information to the students on how orangutans should be treated, to give them a chance to live and grow in their own natural habitat.

And they got a positive response from the students who, full of curiosity, bombarded them with lots of questions.

"Why do orangutan like to climb trees?" asked Yuliana. "How do orangutans carry their babies?" another student, Yeni Fransiska, asked. "How many years does an orangutan take to raise its baby?", or "Are orangutans able to feel sad?" were other questions asked by the students.

Patiently, the two answered each question, while at the same time, passing on information about conservation to the children.

"We target children because the success of the whole campaign to let orangutans live safely in their natural habitat depends on them," Jeane said.

"Children are the assets of the future. We want them to inherit a good environment when they grow up."

Still, both Jeane and Sicillia were amazed by the students' probing questions. "They asked questions like researchers," Sicillia said.

At times, Jeane started with simple questions, like where do orangutans live and she then answered that they live in the forest. Then, she added that it would be wrong to let an orangutan live in a person's house, stressing that orangutans should not be taken as pets.

Then through a projector, Jeane showed them where and how orangutans live. After watching the display, the students realized that orangutans sleep in trees, not in comfy beds like humans.

The three-day programs were conducted in several elementary schools in Kutai Timur Regency, jointly funded by PRO Wanariset Balikpapan and PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), Sanggata.

The schools include 011 elementary school Teluk Lingga and Yayasan Pendidikan Prima Swarga Bara (YPPSB) elementary school in Swarga Bara, Sangatta.

"This is the first program KPC has sponsored this year. We want children living in Sangatta to know the true facts about orangutans directly from experts and what we can do to save them," said Imanuel Manege, superintendent of KPC's site reclamation.

The campaign covered several areas in East Kalimantan. A week before the program in Teluk Lingga, the team conducted a similar campaign in Teluk Pandan, a village near Kutai National Park, some 280 kilometers north of Balikpapan. After this program, they would go to Muara Wahau, a remote area some 450 km north west of Balikpapan.

During the campaigns, the two PRO staff used various methods to attract students, such as by distributing booklets and books on orangutans. "We even hired local artists to draw pictures for the booklets and the story books," explained Jeane.

Sicillia even performed a puppet show for the students. For the show, she brought an adult orangutan puppet called Pongi and smaller one called Pongi Junior.

Acting as a puppet master, Sicillia raised questions through the toys. "Pongi", for instance, asked students why do people chase after orangutans. The students' answers were varied: due to its fur, or simply because the young ones look cute.

Sicillia and Jeane then provided more information for the students, "Orangutans are solitary animals, they do not live in groups."

"Unlike bears, tigers or snakes, orangutans do not attack people. They just react when they feel insecure," Sicillia said.

They also told the students bitter facts that some people chase orangutans, mainly the young ones simply because they look cute and since they are easily trained.

"Other reasons why people chase orangutans are to trade or kill them, keeping their remains, like skulls, as souvenirs," Jeane said.

"And to get a baby orangutan, people have to kill at least two grown-up orangutans."

Sicillia and Jeane also explained what people in PRO Wanariset Samboja do to help save orangutans, stressing that they still need help from others to help the endangered species survive.

The campaign was welcomed by many, including teachers.

"Facts about orangutans are valuable for us. Sometimes teachers find it difficult to tell their students what they can do for the environment without accurate data," said Lastri, a school teacher of 028 elementary school.

But, did the students really get the message?

"Before, I thought of an orangutan as a wild animal. Now I know it only attacks people when it is in danger so we shouldn't disturb them," Mochammad Iqbal said after the class was over.