A MONTH OF EXPERIENCE IN THE KEHJE SEWEN FOREST (2 – FINISH)

Time really does go quickly when we are having fun! Without my realising it, 15 days had soon passed since my arrival at Camp Nles Mamse in the south of the Kehje Sewen Forest. Therefore, it was time for me to move on to Camp Lesik in the northern part of the forest. I had never been there before, so this was an opportunity I did not want to miss.

However before Camp Lesik, I had to return to Muara Wahau, to shop for logistics for 3 days and to join another team there. For the journey, I had the Camp Lesik coordinator, Muhamad Rusda Yakin and technician, Awal Choirianto for company. In Muara Wahau, we joined vets Hafix and Moris from Samboja Lestari, along with some foreign volunteers who were going to help conduct PRM and renovate Camp Lesik’s sanitary facility.

My trip was full of surprises. After dropping logistics back at Camp Nies Mamse, our car broke down about 800 meters away from the camp, just after sun set.  And in the growing darkness, we could hear the sound of a growling sun bear!

We struggled to keep our composure and finally it paid off. We restarted the car and managed to drive all the way to Pelangsiran. Once there, we encountered another steep ridge and a sling river crossing; I had to swing across the river in the dark. It felt like an endless adventure to me. That night it was too late to reach camp and we stayed at Pelangsiran, a small transit settlement on the outskirts of Kehje Sewen Forest.

The next morning we began what turned out to be an exhausting hike to Camp Lesik, due to unpredictable road conditions. But all of my fatigue suddenly disappeared when I got there. A beautiful range of hills, lots of fresh air and the echoing sound of hornbills welcomed us. I love it there!

At Camp Lesik, the team had the task of evacuating Lesan. She had been released into Kehje Sewen in 2012, but recently she had been spending a lot of time around camp. That day, we spotted Lesan together with Hamzah, close-by. This meant we had to adjust our plan and evacuate both Lesan and Hamzah to Peapung, about 1 km away from Camp Lesik.

The next day, Lesan was still with Hamzah near the camp area. Later in the afternoon, at approximately about 2.30pm, an evacuation team consisting of Rusda, vet Hafiz, Moris, Arif, Pak Ramli, Rizal,and Handoko finally succeeded in tranquillising and then carrying both Lesan and Hamzah to Peapung.  To reach Peapung the team had to carry the heavy transport cages containing Lesan and Hamzah across a fast flowing river.  The team are used to navigating difficult terrain and continued without incident.

As with any normal release, we conducted observations and followed the two orangutans until they nested before dark.  Unfortunately heavy rain fell that night, and we had to postpone the next day’s patrol due to a flooded river that was impossible for us to cross.

Soon, with all tasks completed, it was time for me to go back home to Jakarta.
On the way home, we dropped by Samboja Lestari, which was unfortunately subjected to a large forest fire for days. We arrived on the 25th September at dawn to find that the fire was still burning! However, with pride I can say that our motto became "This event, no matter how bad, will never bury our spirit”.

It has been an extraordinary experience for me working and living for a month in Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan. There are no words such “weary” or “tired” in our vocabulary because we are determined to ensure a better life for orangutans and preserve nature for the future.