JOURNEY TO FREEDOM (2)

When the team arrived at the Totat Jalu release camp at noon on February 26, the four orangutans to be released - Dewi, Mentos, Compost and Jatihan - were in tip-top condition. They were each placed in their own acclimatization enclosure so they could rest after their journey prior to their release, and be monitored by the vet team.

After a day of adaptation and observation the orangutans were considered to be well-rested and ready.  The team decided to conduct the release on the following day; Saturday February 28, 2015.

On release day, an advance team was sent out early to prepare the pre-determined release points. The release points are those specific points in the forest where each orangutan would be transported to and then released. The four points were separated 20-30 meters away from each other. The release site was located at the Joloi Bungaran transect area.  A transect is a specially-prepared and identifiable measured path for the purpose of recording observational data on reintroduced orangutans during post-release monitoring.

When everything was set up and ready, the advance team radioed the camp. This was the signal for the medics and technicians to start the process of sedation before the orangutans could be transferred back into the transport cages and then safely moved to their release points. The whole process would take an hour to conduct.

A little after 9.30am, the first two orangutans were moved into transport cages and arrived at the release site. They were brought by a local boat, called a “ces”. Due to their limited loading capacity and the number of ces available, it took another hour to prepare all four cages at the site.  Each orangutan was monitored by the vet team to ensure they were wide awake and ready for release.
 

The first cage to be opened - by Dr. Jamartin Sihite - was Dewi's. Once the door cage was open, Dewi went straight to the nearest tree. Slowly but surely, Dewi climbed up the tree to freedom. A similar process happened for Mentos, Compost and Jatihan.  Once the cages were opened by the representatives of Murung Raya government, the BKSDA and the Police respectively, the remaining three orangutans quickly made their way up trees for a first taste of freedom.

For seven days post-release, the PRM (Post Release Monitoring) team will focus on tracking the newly released orangutans' movements from nest to nest. After a week of follows, the team will review the orangutans progress and decide on a monitoring schedule for the coming months so their progress can be carefully followed.

Enjoy your freedom, dear friends!