It is not only the number of orangutan killings that are increasing lately, but also orphaned orangutans as a result of this. Since August, in less than two months, our program at Nyaru Menteng has received five young orangutans who were left without their mothers. In October, Nyaru Menteng received an orphaned orangutan who arrived in very poor conditions. The bitter fact is that we have received these infants, and we know that there are many more who didn’t even make it this far. To take an infant from his or her mother means she would have been killed first. For every infant that reaches us, we estimate many more would have been killed or died from injuries sustained during their mothers capture or death.
Little Orphan from Kapuas
September 16, 2013, Nyaru Menteng received a female infant orangutan. This 1.5 year old orangutan was confiscated by the Kapuas Regency Conservation and Natural Resources Agency (BKSDA) from a resident of Kapuas who kept her illegally as a pet. She was dressed as a little girl by her keeper.
She was shivering with cold and suffering from flu and fever. Also there was a dry wound on her right eyelid. Our medical team’s first assessment suggested that her condition wasn’t too serious and could be managed, but it would take further medical tests to fully assess her health.
We don’t have any information about how long she had been kept, but she is obviously used to human companions and tamed. After a thorough health check and quarantine period, if she is confirmed to be in a good health, she will be able to join her peers in the younger years Forest School. There, she will learn the necessary forest survival skills and regain her natural behaviours.
Melanie and Fenti
On August 26, Nyaru Menteng had a newcomer from North Barito. Melanie, a young female orangutan aged around 5 years old was confiscated by Muara Teweh BKSDA from a resident of North Barito who kept her. A medical examination found two rifle pellets in her left arm and left side of her neck. The keeper claimed that Melanie was found without her mother in an oil palm plantation not far from his village four years ago.
Melanie has been kept by humans since she was very young. The rehabilitation process to restore her wild nature in order for her to be able to live in the forest will take years. She needs to learn many survival skills such as recognising foods and predators, building nest, etc.
On September 12, a four year old female orangutan arrived at Nyaru Menteng having been confiscated by the Central Kalimantan BKSDA from a resident in Katingan. Fenti was illegally kept as a pet for two years and has lost most of her natural behaviour.
The keeper initially strongly refused to hand Fenti over. Even after BKSDA explained the wildlife protection laws and penalties, he still argued heavily. Finally, under pressure from many BKSDA personnel, he gave Fenti up.
Orangutan Orphan Continue to Arrive
In October, orangutan baby, aged less than 10 months, came to Nyaru Menteng. Sura, a four month old male orangutan was handed over by a resident of Tumbang Koling village in East Kotawaringin Regency. According to that person, Sura was found in an area which was being cleared for a new oil palm plantation. Found without his mother, the baby also lost three fingers due to a blow by sharp object. We can only imagine his mothers fate.
Will They Keep Coming?
Reports from communities about residents who illegally keep young orangutans are still coming to Nyaru Menteng and BKSDA, meanwhile forest areas to accommodate new oil palm and other plantations are similarly still being cleared. Obviously there are still so many orangutans out there waiting to be rescued.
The rehabilitation process for an orangutan takes a long time – up to 7 years. With new orphaned orangutans continuing to arrive at our Centres, the target to release all rehabilitated orangutans to their natural habitat in 2015 is impossible to reach. Orangutan Conservation can only be achieved if the laws to protect them in their natural habitat are enforced.
The BOS Foundation, together with the KLHK and the BKSDA of Central Kalimantan will soon conduct the 44th orangutan release from the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre to the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR).
Every year on April 22, we celebrate Earth Day to honour the planet that is home to us all.
It was a usual day at the Nyaru Menteng forest school, where young orangutans were learning from one another while their human surrogate mothers looked on from below.
