EXPERIENCE TO OBSERVE ORANGUTANS
The PRM team, in particular, gained four new members. These new colleagues are eager to learn and are already showing a keen interest in their duties.
Our Post-Released Monitoring (PRM) team in the Hiran watershed of Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR) conducts phenology surveys every month. These surveys aim to find out what plants are available around the release area, which is needed to estimate the availability of fruits and other natural foods that can be consumed by orangutans. Also included in the surveys are trees that could be utilised as nesting sites for orangutans.
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A few days into the surveying period, our PRM team unexpectedly encountered Svenja. When she first entered the rehabilitation centre, Svenja was only 1.5 years old and in very poor condition. It took another 18 years, but the combination of veterinary care and behavioural rehabilitation in forest school saw Svenja fully recovered and ready to return to her forest home. Finally, in June 2023, she was released in TNBBBR.
This recent encounter between Svenja and the TNBBBR PRM team comes 6 months after her release. It ended up being a heartwarming day as the team observed Svenja going about her wild life, feeding on food such as wild figs (Ficus sp.), wild ginger roots (Etlingera sp.), ujau fruit, poring leaves, and the cambium beneath fig tree bark.
An Amazing Encounter with Svenja (Photo credit: BOSF 2024)
Fig trees are an important food source for orangutans or other forest dwellers because their various parts are high in bioactive compounds and nutrients, such as vitamins, iron, protein, and calcium. Not only that, large and sturdy fig trees provide benefits beyond just food. The PRM team watched Svenja as she built a nest in the branches of the fig tree once she had had her fill.
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When not feeding or resting, Svenja would come to the ground to play in the sand and shallow waters. She would use the soft sand to jump on, roll around in, throw over her body, and even dig into it like a human child playing on the beach. Just like us, orangutans benefit from play. It is critical for their cognitive development and well-being, as well as a fun way in which they can exercise their motor and sensory abilities and learn more about the environment around them.
It was great to meet up with Svenja and watch as she made the most of her surroundings. The joy she finds in the waters, trees, and earth of TNBBBR renews our hopes for the future of orangutans!
The PRM team, in particular, gained four new members. These new colleagues are eager to learn and are already showing a keen interest in their duties.
Last April, Josh & Talaken finally made their way to the pre-release island, marking a significant milestone in their journey back to the wild!
As we know, orangutans (Pongo spp.) are arboreal primates. It’s intriguing to explore how their adaptability might extend beyond the treetops, raising the question: Could they also manage to survive in aquatic environments?
