SAVING MADARA

Madara was separated from his mother, kept as pet and almost sold on the illegal pet trade.  Fortunately a good man stepped in and saved him from this terrible fate and handed him over to the BOS Foundation team in Nyaru Menteng.
 

Saved from the pet-trade

Iwa, an official with the Transportation Agency in Central Kalimantan was vacationing in Madara Village, South Barito District when he came across someone keeping a baby orangutan as a pet.  At first the man intended to sell Madara to Iwa for 2 million Rupiah (about $165).  Iwa rejected the offer and informed the villager of the laws on animal protection together with the sanctions and fines which he would incur. After hearing Iwa’s explanation, the villager asked Iwa to take Madara to Palangkaraya which Iwa did.  As soon as he arrived in Palangkaraya, Iwa immediately contacted the BOS Foundation team in Nyaru Menteng.
 

Losing His Mother and Home

The story of how Madara lost his mother is tragic. The villager who kept Madara as a pet told the story of how he allegedly found him at the edge of what was left of the forest near the village. The village had experienced a drought lasting  2 months and the forest near the village caught fire.  Some areas next to this village are also a part of concession area belonging to an oil palm company so we really don’t know the whole story.

Allegedly Madara’s mother and other orangutans were chased away by the local community using all kinds of loud sounds. Panicked, Madara’s mother together with other orangutans fled into the forest and Madara was apparently left all alone. The 3 months-old male orangutan screamed his lungs out in a tree.  He was separated from his mother, far away from home and terrified.

Nobody knew exactly how Madara became separated from his mother.  Orangutan mothers will fiercely protect their young in any situation even if it results in their own death.  However we are often told stories of how orangutan mothers left their babies alone during confiscation operations.

Handing Over Madara

The team from the Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority (BKSDA) and the BOS Foundation arrived at Iwa’s house to pick Madara up on September 1, 2014.

Vet Fiet Hayu conducted the initial health checks on Madara and confirmed that the baby orangutan was in a good condition. The beautiful, sparkly eyed, long-haired young orangutan weighed 2.2 kgs. There were scratches on his left wrist and ankle, but they were already healing well.

Madara is now under the intensive care of babysitter Yunesilami and the Medical Team.  He will complete his quarantine period before joining the infant Forest School.  We hope that Madara’s test results reveal that he is completely healthy so that he can join his peers as soon as possible and begin to sharpen his natural skills and rebuild his life with the help of our team.