JOURNEY TO FREEDOM (1)

The BOS Foundation released five orangutans in the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest, Central Kalimantan, this February. One orangutan, named Maha, was released on February 7 by an advanced-release team, while the other four – Dewi, Mentos, Compost and Jatihan - were released on February 28.  This was the first time in which air transport was not used in a Central Kalimantan release.

The transport process began at the BOS Foundation Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center on February 24, with a brief stop at the Central Kalimantan BKSDA (Agency for Wildlife Conservation) office.

A convoy of four cars travelled overland for 11 hours, bound for Puruk Cahu, in Murung Raya Regency.  From Puruk Cahu, the group took a boat trip on the famous Barito River to Batu Ampar.  From there, another overland trip was made to Camp B, which is located at Dusun Tabulus; a part of Tumbang Naan village, Seribu Riam subdistrict, in Murung Raya Regency.  At Camp B, the team rested for the night and gave the orangutans time to recover from the trip.

The following morning, the group set off on the last leg of the journey bound for the Totat Jalu release camp, located deep in the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. The estimated five-hour trip was taken by boat, upstream along the Joloi River.

Due to unexpected engine failure, the trip ended up taking eight hours.  Nonetheless, measures were in place to anticipate this type of challenge and the situation did not discourage the team of technicians and veterinarians, and representatives of the Murung Raya government, the BKSDA and the Police.

“We were blessed with good weather and a relatively smooth trip,” said Dr. Jamartin Sihite, CEO of the BOS Foundation and regular participant on release trips. The weather was relatively friendly during the entire 48-hour trip; from the BKSDA office in Palangkaraya to the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest.

Once the team reached Totat Jalu camp, the orangutans were quickly transferred to acclimatization enclosures located behind the camp where the orangutans were able to stretch out and rest after their long trip inside smaller cages needed for transportation purposes. Here they would undergo an adaptation and recovery process for a period of at least 24 hours so they will be well rested  on the day of their release.