Reintroducing orangutans to their natural habitat

Reintroducing orangutans to their natural habitat

Forty orangutans sway slowly in their small crate inside a
truck that will bring them to Gunung Meratus forest reserve in
East Kalimantan where they will regain their freedom.

Thick mud on the road leading to the forest reserve did not
deter the volunteers from continuing.

The real start of the journey was at Wanariset's post in
Gunung Meratus forest reserve. Some 112 people were divided into
groups of five to seven people each. They then carried the crates
with two orangutans in each of them. In a short time, the
orangutans would be back in their natural habitat.

The orangutan release in early November was funded by Pasir
Ridge International School in Balikpapan.

"We are all very tired, especially because we had to go down
some steep ravines and climb a hill, but I never fail to join the
orangutan release. This is the third time I am taking part in
this program," said a volunteer, James Raturandang.

"It is really interesting to assist orangutans to return to
their natural habitat. They just look like us. Look at their eyes
and their behavior," said Mrs. Lauritzen, a participant from
Sangatta -- 300 kilometers north of Balikpapan who came with a
group for the program.

According to executive director of Balikpapan Orangutan
Survival Foundation (BOSF), Peter H. Karsono, orangutans behave
in a similar way to humans.

"We had Dydy, a smart orangutan, returned by a businessman in
Taipei, who tricked us twice, pretending to be sick on the day he
was scheduled to be released. Now, he has already been released
in Gunung Meratus," he said.

BOSF's orangutan reintroduction project manager Bob
Soekadijono NS, said all orangutans were screened for any
diseases before being released.

Moreover, a new approach was also being developed for the
release. "We are developing a new approach. There are two groups
of orangutans; a control group and a research group. Orangutans
in both groups have been trained to be able to survive in the
jungle," said Peter.

The survival training method in the control group
of orangutans uses the old method, like training orangutans how
to climb a tree. Some of the training equipment is designed so it
resembles parts of trees found in the jungle.

Meanwhile, orangutans from the research group use a shelter.
The setting for their survival training is like their natural
habitat. Wanariset technicians and staff only made a high fence
border around a 10-hectare area full of fruit trees.
"Theoretically, the orangutans will not trespass the border,"
said Peter.

The 24 orangutans released early in November this year in the
Gunung Meratus forest reserve were from the control group; and
the remaining 16 were from the research group. Both
groups will be carefully monitored for a certain period to find
out which method would be best applied in future rehabilitation
programs.

BOSF has just bought Pulau Kaja, an island in the middle of a
meandering river in Central Kalimantan. The location is in Nyaru
Menteng, an area some 28 km from Central Kalimantan's capital
Palangkaraya heading to Sampit. The island traditionally belongs
to the Dayak people.

"There's an understanding between BOSF and the Dayak people in
the area, that by keeping the island as a conservation area,
future generations can still enjoy the beauty of nature," Peter
said. -- M. Onny Setiawan