A NEW SIGHTING OF AN OLD FACE

In the last few days, the team at Camp Lesik had barely seen any rain. When clouds started to cover the sky, they were a welcome sight as the Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) team could feel the temperature start to drop. The cooler conditions served the PRM team well as they took the week to carry out repairs and maintenance at Camp Lesik, while also setting on patrols towards the Gunung Belah area.

It was a tranquil late afternoon when suddenly an unexpected visitor appeared at Camp Lesik. At first, our PRM team suspected that this "visitor" was Lesan, a female orangutan who often visits with her small family, however, their assumption was incorrect. The orangutan visiting the camp this time was Sarmi. This orangutan, who had not been seen for a long time, finally revealed herself when she started to snack on oil palm fruits in the vicinity.

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The last sighting of Sarmi was in 2014, a year after her release in the northern part of the Kehje Sewen Forest. At that time, she had formed a warm friendship with Berlian, another female orangutan in the northern part of the Kehje Sewen Forest.

When observed by our PRM team, Sarmi displayed no aggression and seemed indifferent to the presence of our team. All she wanted to do was consume oil palm fruits without any disturbance. The only oil palm tree around the camp was located on the main road leading to the camp. This tree had been there since before the inauguration of Camp Lesik in 2014. Some orangutans, including Sarmi, Lesan and her children, Sayang and her small family, and even other wild orangutans, visit the tree to enjoy the ripe oil palm fruits.

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After satisfying her appetite, Sarmi did not linger. She swiftly made her way into the thickets behind her, traveling towards the river. As the sunlight faded, Sarmi also vanished, disappearing deeper into the wilderness of the forest.