Teaching orangutans to walk on the wild side

Forty orangutans sway slowly in their small enclosure 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 cages 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