Orangutan Diary – Coming June 10th!It’s finally coming here! The long-anticipated series of Orangutan Diary will air June 10th on Animal Planet (USA). Grendon, Lomon and Kesi all feature prominently along with a few new characters you will meet along the way. The series is presented by Steve Leonard and Michaela Strachan, who will introduce you to the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project. Please tune in, and tell all your friends. Suitable for all ages. For schedules, please visit: http://animal.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=15.15172.116984.0.0 Photo credits by Michael Sowards
Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center
Nyaru Menteng is an orangutan rehabilitation center located in Central Kalimantan near the city of Palangka Raya. The Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project is situated 28 km (18 miles) outside of Palangka Raya, the Capitol of Central Kalimantan. It is located within the boundaries of the Nyaru Menteng Arboretum, a 62,5 hectare lowland peat-swam forest ecosystem, founded in 1988 by the Ministry of Forestry Regional office of Central Kalimantan. The clinic, quarantine facilities and socialization cages are inside a fenced area of 1.5 ha. while mid-way housing is at the farthest end of the Arboretum, which has good forest for the smallest orangutans and is undisturbed by visitors. Kaja Island for the larger orangutans is located only 8 km away by road. Lone Droscher-Nielsen co-founded the project with Dr. Willie Smits. Lone is a Danish woman who spent 4 years volunteering in Tanjung Puting caring for small infant orangutans, before she and her Dayak husband Odom opened the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Project with the help of BOS Indonesia. The project is funded and managed by BOS and works in co-operation with The Department of Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (a department within the Department of Forestry) for Central Kalimantan. Odom
More about Nyaru Menteng
Background and Aim: During the devastating fires of 97/98, hundreds of infant and juvenile orangutans were rescued from villages in Kalimantan (Indonesian part of the Island of Borneo). Their mothers had become easy prey, forced out of the burning forests into human settlements, trying to find food for themselves and their offspring. The villagers, hungry, sometimes starving due to the prolonged drought, found easy protein literally in their backyard. While the mothers were killed and eaten, the infants/juveniles were held in cages, possibly for a future sale. Extensive rescue missions were set up and hundreds of orangutans were rescued by the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project in East Kalimantan. It was during this time it became apparent that a new quarantine and reintroduction facility was needed to cope with the continuous flow of rescued orangutans. Although the fires have diminished, it is estimated that hundreds of orangutans are still held captive, not just in villages in Kalimantan, but in households as far as Java and Bali. Many of the victims are from the fires but at least as many victims are from the extensive logging which clear-cuts thousands of hectares of virgin tropical rainforest every day. The aim of the Nyaru Menteng orangutan re-introduction project is to rescue the orangutans (and other protected primates) that are held in captivity, and through quarantine and half-way housing, release them back into their natural environment. We aim to help to protect large areas of untouched forest for this purpose, perhaps in adjunction to existing National Parks in remote areas such as the new BOS protection area, Mawas. The Process: Our main aim is to try to imitate, as closely as possible, the life the orangutans would have had, were they still with their mothers in the forest. We take into account that orangutans are just as individual as humans are and that their backgrounds differ tremendously. A two year old orangutan that has only spent a week in captivity in a cage with little physical human contact is still wild and could successfully be moved directly to the release site after quarantine, where he/she would probably bond with an older orangutan. Whereas a 6 or 7 year old who has been in captivity for most of his/her life would need a much longer transition period before being moved to the release site. Furthermore, two orangutans of the same age and more or less the same background might need shorter or longer periods of transition depending on their personalities. The reintroduction process is therefore only a guideline to be modified depending upon the needs of each individual.
Orangutans are often rescued from miserable living conditions. Most orangutans are confiscated by the Forest Police (BKSDA), (often with threats of death to the officers by the owners) but on occasion owners will voluntarily bring in their animals. We often transfer orangutans from other parts of Indonesia where they have been kept as pets and confiscated by the local Conservation office together with a flying team from Wanariset. Quarantine cages are all roofed and under forest canopy. They are roomy and equipped with a nesting basket. Infants and sick orangutans will not be caged during quarantine but will be allocated a caretaker to care for them, to avoid stress. All orangutans go through a short quarantine (one to two weeks) during which they will have a general health check, be tested for Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A, B, &C, and treated for parasites. We take nail, hair & blood samples for future genetic testing, do fingerprints and insert a microchip for identification once they are released. When cleared from quarantine there are three phases depending on the orangutan’s age and personality. a. Baby School This is the kindergarten for orangutans under the age of approximately 2.5 yrs. They sleep in indoor cages or in cradles under supervision, and are taken out at 7:00 in the morning by our babysitters (local young Dayak women). They play all day in the forest behind the clinic where they are encouraged by their “mothers” to climb trees and make nests. They are brought back in at 4:00 p.m. to the nursery where under supervision they still can play or go to sleep as they wish. There is always supervision during the night. b. Halfway house The halfway house is for orangutans from about 2.5 to/5 years of age. They are encouraged to sleep out in their own nests but most prefer the security of the large cages in the house (pictured at right). Many have been in captivity for at least a couple of years and have forgotten the skill of making nests. They are free to roam the forest from 7:00 to 4:00 + and are encouraged to find food on their own, though there are always fruit and vegetables available placed strategically around in the trees on long sticks. c. Socialization cage The socialization cage is for orangutans that on arrival are above 4-5 years old. These orangutans need to learn to socialize with other orangutans and to train their muscles before they get to spend time in the forest. They have many activities within the cage, some of which have been designed to replicate flexible tree trunks, and they have nesting baskets. Twice a day they are given branches and leaves to encourage them to make nests and to eat the new leaves. They are fed small amounts once every hour to mimic as closely their feeding pattern in the wild. d. The islands Orangutans from the half-way house facility who have successfully acquired good forest skills, and orangutans from the socialization cages who have had some forest training will be moved to one of three forested islands. Here they are free to roam, forage for fruit and other forest foods, and hopefully acquire those last important forest skills that will secure their success in the wild. The release will be in a protected forest area. It is important there is no wild population, as the release of a number of rehabilitants would put too much strain on the food resources of an already stable population. It is equally important that it is far from human settlements to avoid confrontations between orangutans already accustomed to humans and a people who eat their meat. There will be daily feedings at the release site to ensure the health of the rehabilitants until they themselves find their way in their real home. How can you help?Strengthening and enforcing the laws of Indonesia would be a step in the right direction to save some of the last habitat for the orangutan, but the international community must also take responsibility for their consumption of illegally produced timber from Indonesia. Every day 6000 hectares of virgin tropical forest disappear in Indonesia alone. This is could be home for some 30+ orangutans and millions of other living creatures. Some 70% of all timber exported from Indonesia is illegally logged. Eco-labeling on items like wooden furniture has often been paid for, so your best option when buying wood-products is to buy your own country’s beautiful woods rather than opt for any of the tropical hardwoods. We plead with you to help us save the forests of Indonesia, to help us save the last orangutans. We owe them a chance – a life…not just because they are small caricatures of ourselves but also because we are all bound to have something in our home that once belonged to theirs, whether it is a chair, a bookcase, a window-frame or just a small wooden souvenir. Please help us to support valuable projects like Nyaru Menteng by becoming a member today!
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