Hamzah - Up, up and away!

The Release Team departed from Camp 103 to Mount Belah at exactly 7.30 in the morning. It was raining since the night before but fortunately the rain was stopped when we were about to go. The Release Team then went to Mount Belah by car and walked about 1 km to the release site, where Hamzah and Berlian were patiently waiting for us.

At 9am, Dr Signe Preuschoft, a primatologist lending her expertise to BOS Foundation, opened Berlian’s enclosure. Berlian wasted no time finding her tree legs! The orangutan that has been in our Reintroduction Program for years is now officially back to her natural habitat.

Hamzah was carefully observing his companion’s release from the cage but when Gonda Nisam, RHOI Area Manager opened his cage door, at first, Hamzah was unsure. He paused to take in the sight of space and unfamiliar sounds for a while, but once he had made up his mind, he swiftly to the right side of the cage and climbed a hanging-root up high to the canopy. Hamzah was very fast! In the blink of an eye, Hamzah was already moving from one tree to another.

Reaching for the Sky!

On the second day, the Team could not start their work in the morning as they had planned because the river was flooding. But by 7.15 AM they decided to enter the forest anyway, although it was still raining. They carefully crossed the river together and finally reached the orangutans’ location. Mail and Lesan were up and about and were no longer seen around their nests. Using radio telemetry, the Team eventually found Lesan and Mail eating together in a tree.

The two friends still traveled together, exploring new areas, with Mail as the leader. In the afternoon, Lesan and Mail returned to their favorite langsat tree and ate a lot of langsat fruits before saying good night to each other. Even though their nests were only 5-meter apart, Lesan and Mail this time chose different trees to make each of their nests.

Casey also had come out of her nest by the time the Team arrived and was seen busy eating fruits in a tree close to her nest. She still played around the hill and valley behind the acclimatization area, but she had started to explore a wider area than in the previous day. Casey also ate young rattan and a type of aromatic perennial herbs called Zingiberace. At high noon, Casey made a new nest and took a nap for more than an hour. When she woke up, she was obviously hungry again. She ate young leaves and continued eating until late afternoon before returning to her nest at the end of the day.

Eyes to the skies!

Once during observation, Lesan was eyed by an eagle while playing in the trees. It seemed that she had played too close to the eagle’s nest. Realising danger, Lesan immediately made a lot of noise and showed real anger to the bird, indicating a good response to threats.

Unlike Mail and Lesan, Casey did not travel very far. After her release, she went to a nearby hill to forage. Casey always stopped for a long time in one tree, enjoying the forest and eating forest fruits before swinging to the next tree. Although she didn’t eat as many types of food as Mail and Lesan, in quantity Casey did eat quite a lot. At daybreak, Casey returned to the area round her acclimatisation enclosure and stayed there for a while. But when Lesan and Mail passed through the area, Casey decided to head for the hill instead. Since then Casey could be easily found around the hill, and at around 6 PM Casey made a nest in a tree right next to a fruiting Aglaia (also known as the Rangkori tree).

Initially, the Team was going to open the enclosures’ doors just in case any of the orangutans decided to sleep there, which is a common behaviour in newly released rehabilitants. Fortunately Casey, Lesan and Mail seemed to be confident enough and each settled in their own nests high up in the canopy. So opening the enclosures was unnecessary and that decision was cancelled.

Casey’s look of wonder and awe at her new home speaks a thousand words.

Click here and read about the landmark initiative that is aiming to secure the future of the Orangutan in our world…

“On March 30, 2012, eleven individuals accompanied by the BOSF Release Team will depart from Tjilik Riwut Airport, Palangka Raya to Puruk Cahu. After spending a night in transitory enclosures located in an area belonging to PT Indo Muro Kencana-Straits, the orangutans will be transported from Puruk Cahu to be released in Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest on March 31, 2012,” said Anton Nurcahyo, Nyaru Menteng Program Manager.

The eleven orangutans are healthy and ready to be reintroduced in their natural habitat. They have been in quarantine at the BOSF animal health facility in Nyaru Menteng for the necessary period.

Release activites will continue for the next 3 – 5 years in the effort to support the fulfillment of the government’s promise stated in the Indonesian Orangutan Conservation Action Plan 2007 – 2017, which was proclaimed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia during the Climate Change Conference in Bali in 2007. On the Action Plan, it was also asserted that all orangutans currently residing in rehabilitation centers must be returned to their natural habitat no later than 2015.

There are still more than 600 orangutans who are waiting for release from Nyaru Menteng. If more suitable land that meet the criteria are made available, then the government’s promise on the Action Plan can be realized.

Dr. Jamartin Sihite, the CEO of BOSF said, “These first two releases have been carefully planned, coordinated with all stakeholders and in line with IUCN standards and the national guidelines. This detailed and thorough planning will be a strong foundation for subsequent releases, which will continue to be conducted for several years into the future.”

In relation to land requirements to release orangutans, the Forestry Minister, Zulkifli Hasan stated during the first release, “Looking ahead, the Ministry of Forestry will stick with our commitment, which is to provide and allocate more ecosystem restoration concessions that meet the conditions as orangutan habitat, to release orangutans. To that end, we also need the support and the same commitment from the Regency Government and the Provincial Government.”

In line with the Forestry Minister’s statement, Dr. Willy M Yoseph, the Regent of Murung Raya also said, “Hopefully, this activity will be a positive trigger for other regencies in Central Kalimantan to also support such activities and allocate some of their areas for orangutans, so that we can find many orangutan release sites in Central Kalimantan.”

“Additionally, if orangutan releases can be conducted in conservation areas allocated by companies with licenses to operate in Murung Raya, then these companies should openly seek cooperation with the Regency Government, the Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority and also with NGOs,” he added.

By law, orangutans that have been reintroduced are the responsibility of the Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority. In practice, the Chief of the Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority is expecting the continous support and cooperation between the Government of Murung Raya Regency and BOSF.

Orangutan Release, Central Kalimantan (in English) from BOS Foundation on Vimeo.

Tantri - Up where she belongs...

March 8th

Communicating with the field team this morning, they are pleased to report that the tracking equipment is working really well and has been instrumental in helping keep a close eye on the orangutans movements. Astrid and Monic continue to stick together and they were even seen making a nest together! This is unusual, as normally adult orangutans make their own separate nest each night. However at Nyaru Menteng Astrid and Monic were next door neighbours so they had obviously formed a close bond which seems to be continuing in their new forest home.

Tantri has been very adventurous in exploring her new home and yesterday the team tracked her to her current location – 900 metres on the other side of the river. Obviously, without the use of the tracking equipment, it would have been very difficult for our team to easily locate her, so this technology is already proving how vital it is to enable us to follow the progress of all the orangutans.

As for the lovely Tarzan, he is being less adventurous and has remained within the general area of his release, but we expected that all of our orangutans would behave differently in their new home and Tarzan has clearly decided to take his time and approach his new home in a much more relaxed manner!

There are plenty of wild orangutan foods available, and our team continue to record phenology data so we can plot fruiting seasons which will help us to plan orangutan releases at the most optimum times of the year. Plus whilst tracking the orangutans, the team are also seeing and recording lots of wildlife including gibbons and leaf monkeys which is very exciting!

We’ll continue to post more updates and thanks to you all for your support and for following the remarkable journey of the orangutans.

You can help BOS release the many Orangutans in its care waiting to return to the wild. Text ORANG to 70003 and donate £3 today.

 Illegal orangutan owner and trader prosecuted in Sumatra

NEW YORK (February 14, 2012) – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) announced today the first ever successful sentence of an illegal Sumatran orangutan owner and trader in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The seven-month prison sentence is only the third such sentencing for orangutan trading in Indonesia, despite orangutans being strictly protected under Indonesian law since 1924.

Although there have been over 2,500 confiscations of illegally held orangutans in Indonesia since the early 1970’s, the first actual prosecution of an illegal orangutan owner occurred in Borneo in 2010, and now in Sumatra with this case in 2012.

The case began with the confiscation of a young male orangutan named Julius last July in Mardinding, Karo District, in the province of North Sumatra. The owner was allegedly trying to sell the orangutan, which was believed to be three years old.

The raid was conducted by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate-General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), working in conjunction with WCS’s Wildlife Crime Unit and the veterinarian and staff of the SOCP.

The Wildlife Crime Unit, created by WCS in 2003, provides data and technical advice to law enforcement agencies to support the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes.

The SOCP, implemented by the Swiss-based PanEco Foundation, and the Indonesian NGO YEL (Foundation for a Sustainable Ecosystem) have operated the only orangutan rescue center in Sumatra since 2001 and have so far reintroduced over 150 confiscated ex-pet orangutans back to the wild. Julius is now being cared for at the SOCP’s orangutan quarantine center near Medan, with just over 50 other orangutans also being prepared for a return to the forest.

After spending 30 days in quarantine, Julius is now living in a socialization cage, which allows him to adapt to the presence of other orangutans. Though the road to full rehabilitation might still be a long one, Julius is making excellent progress and is expected to be released back into the wild in the future.

The sentence reflects an increase in activity and action to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia in recent years. In the last two years there have been more than 20 arrests for illegally possessing or trading protected wildlife, including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger and pangolin.

The prosecution is in full compliance with the Indonesian Government’s own National Orangutan Conservation Strategy and Action plan, launched in 2007.

The majority of illegal pet orangutans are a byproduct of forest clearance for palm oil plantations and of conflicts between farmers and orangutans that raid crops in converted agricultural areas. In most cases, they are not hunted specifically for food or trade in Sumatra, but are more “refugees” from forests that no longer exist.  

Conservationists believe Julius’s mother was killed at the time of his capture. Relatively few orangutans are actively traded in Sumatra, but the SOCP and PHKA still confiscate around 30 illegal pets each year, whose mothers have been killed.

The Head of Natural Resources Conservancy Agency (BBKSDA) North Sumatra, Arief Tongkagie, said: “Based on the successful completion of this case, our hope is that in the future more people will be willing to report crimes against orangutans”.

According to Panut Hadisiswoyo, Chairman of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Forum (FOKUS): “Increased efforts to curb crimes against orangutans will provide a deterrent effect to traders.”

The Wildlife Conservation Society is actively trying to reduce the damaging impact of the illegal wildlife trade.

“We commend Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate-General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) for taking a hard stance on wildlife trade, which is threatening to destroy the country’s natural resources,” said Dr Noviar Andayani, Director of the WCS Indonesia Program. “We are hopeful that this prosecution sends a clear message that illegal wildlife trade will not be tolerated in Indonesia.”

Live orangutans sold in Indonesia, or exported illegally to neighboring countries, are kept as pets or in private zoo collections. Other wildlife traded for food, medicines, skins, biomedical research, souvenirs and pets from Indonesia include rhinos, elephants, tigers, birds, bears, orchids, marine and freshwater fish, turtles, fragrant timber, pangolins, corals, snakes, bats, sharks, and rodents.

“Working closely with law enforcement is a key component in the fight against illegal wildlife trade,” said Joe Walston, WCS Executive Director for Asia programs.  “If governments want to protect their wildlife resources, they need to be serious about enforcement. Clearly Indonesia is taking a lead on this front.” 

Ian Singleton, Director of Conservation for the PanEco Foundation and the person in charge of the SOCP, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to finally have a prosecution of an illegal orangutan ‘owner’ in Sumatra, but it’s also long overdue. With this sentence, as long as it is widely publicized in the region, anyone considering capturing, killing or keeping an orangutan illegally will certainly think twice about it, and hopefully the numbers being killed and kept in the coming years will begin to decline.”

###

CONTACT:    WCS – STEPHEN SAUTNER (U.S.): (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)

WCS – JOHN DELANEY (U.S.): (1-718-220-3275; jdelaney@wcs.org)

SOCP – Dr Ian Singleton, Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim (North Sumatra, Indonesia): (62-811-650491; mokko123@gmail.com)

Wildlife Conservation Society www.wcs.org

SOCP: Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (www.sumatranorangutan.org)

PanEco Foundation (www.paneco.ch)

Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL) www.yelweb.org)

PHKA: Perlindungan Hutan dan Konservasi Alam, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry’s department of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation: www.dephut.go.id

Saved by BOS Foundation, now under the protection of Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (RHOI) in the KJ7 Forest for Orangutans. Read about the real difference your help is making to the future of the wild orangutan in our world.

The work involved in saving the orangutan and its habitat is a difficult challenge.  Few other organisations understand this better than BOS Foundation which, since its founding, has worked against ever mounting odds to ensure the future of Indonesia’s Great Ape…

A member of the RHOI team recounts the operation:

After almost a week combing several oil palm plantations in the regency of Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan, the Rescue and Release Operation, which began on Tuesday January 17, finally paid off. The following Sunday, the rescue team saved a mother and her child from imminent threat.

The day before, the search team, headed by RHOI’s Deputy Director, Dr. Aldrianto Priadjati, had discovered only a few orangutan nests, 2-3 days old.  It was on Sunday morning we received an anonymous call.  Poachers were chasing two orangutans in the area.

It was a close call.  The Rescue Team – made up of staff from PT RHOI, BOSF and BKSDA EastKal* – arrived at the site to find

a group of people poised with machetes and ropes to trap the stricken orangutans. The presence of officials from BKSDA however – Ahmad Ripai and Ridho – caused them to quickly lay down their tools of capture and allow the team to conduct the rescue.  Neither party wished confrontation.
Our only concern was helping the orangutans.

Exhaustion had clearly overtaken the mother.  We could only imagine the trauma she must have experienced, running for her life, while protecting her daughter. She showed no resistance when vet Dr Agus Irwanto from the Samboja Lestari Project – accompanied by Hendro and Muliyono, technicians from the Nyaru Menteng Rescue Centre – approached and sedated her.  She just hugged her 6-year-old child, as though she would never let her go.

We discovered the poachers were not local residents, apparent from their regional accent.  They seemed pleased when the team arrived, and even assisted in our efforts. But when the team thanked them and walked away without giving anything in return, their faces changed. Expectation of some form of reward is not uncommon, but it is not BOS Foundation policy to encourage such expectation.  The goal is to educate everyone that protecting orangutans is in reality the reward.

Health checks completed, both orangutans were implanted with identity chips and the mother was fitted with a radio transmitter (donated by Vier Pfoten/Four Paws who also funded the rescue) for further monitoring. Both orangutans will be checked regularly for several months to make sure that they adjust to their new home. It is your contributions that ensures the long-term security of KJ7 forest, and the safety of orangutans such as Suci and Sri.

“Suci and Sri were so named as a tribute to Dr. Sri Suci Utami, a leading primatologist and advocate for the apes in Indonesia who also supported the team in this operation,” said Dr. Priadjati.  We were elated to further discover that Suci is also about 3 months pregnant. “This is great news, because it means that in a few months, one more orangutan will be born in Kehje Sewen Forest,” added Agus.

Suci and Sri were taken to Kehje Sewen by road, a long and arduous journey.  Regular stops and routine checks were performed along the way to ensure their comfort and wellbeing.  Accessing Kehje Sewen is incredibly difficult.  The team must go through the town of Muara Wahau then on to Pelangsiran, the gateway to the Kehje Sewen Forest.  From there, the team made their way to a designated release location, called Gunung Belah, which translates to Sides of the Mountain.

As you would expect from such a name, the terrain was challenging and the weather unpredictable. En route, the team encountered many obstacles; from badly damaged tracks to muddy landslides, broken bridges to fast-flowing rivers.  Such was the terrain that on arrival at the Gunung Belah site, it was decided to bring Suci and Sri to their release point in the forest on a stretcher instead of cages – both for their comfort and ours.

We laid them carefully on the forest floor.  Shortly afterwards, Suci and Sri woke up from their induced sleep.  In those moments, everything looks crystal clear. Orangutan and rainforest are back in each other’s arms and the feeling of harmony restored hung in the air.  We stood quietly aside and watched as Suci and Sri began climbing up into the canopy. They looked carefree and happy, swinging among branches of the trees.  We could return home and share the experience with our family and friends, knowing that it would not be too long before there was even more new life in the Orangutan Forest…

*PT Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (RHOI), Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), and The Office of Conservation and Natural Resources of East Kalimantan (BKSDA EastKal)

Support this landmark project today.

A note from Prof. Dr. Bungaran Saragih, BOSF Chairman of the Board of Trustees:

“Releasing wild orangutans in Kehje Sewen Forest has resulted in reduced area which was originally prepared for rehabilitated orangutans. RHOI continues to seek expansion and secure more land for orangutans. RHOI has filed Ecosystem Restoration (RE) permit applications for additional lands in East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, but the process seems to run into various obstacles. Government support is needed to accelerate this process, so that rehabilitated orangutans that are now lining up in BOSF rehabilitation centers can be immediately released”.

In addition, the private sector, including companies / oil palm plantations, have a great responsibility to orangutan conservation efforts. The biggest challenge now is to increase private sector awareness and secure serious commitment from them.  Most Indonesian companies tend to oversimplify the process of natural resource management and charge environmental costs to other parties. Yet logically, negative impacts of a business should be included as part of the company’s own operational costs.

In this new year 2012, Suci and Sri have a new hope to live freely and safely in their habitat. The Orangutan Rescue and Release Operation, in cooperation with RHOI, BOSF and BKSDA EastKal, with support from the Governments of East Kalimantan Province and East Kutai Regency, as well as Vier Pfoten, successfully demonstrated that the synergy between development and conservation is feasible and should be mandatory.