(ID) Three baby orangutans find sanctuary at Nyaru Menteng

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Three baby orangutans find sanctuary at Nyaru Menteng

 

Nyaru Menteng - Borneo Orangutan Survival's rescue and rehabilitation centre

in Indonesian Borneo - has recently welcomed the arrival of three young

orangutans from West Kalimantan. All three (aged between 2 - 3 years) were

confiscated from private households - victims of palm oil development and

logging. Nyaru Menteng, founded by Lone Droscher-Nielsen, is home to 670

orangutans, ranging in age from a few months to about 8 years, where they are

cared for and rehabilitated to prepare them for their ultimate release into the

wild.

 

In February this year, the Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of

the Forestry Department in Indonesia, confiscated Frengky - one of the

orangutans - from the area of Singkawang, on the north coast of West

Kalimantan.

 

Within two months, another young orangutan, Thomas, was rescued from

Sintang, also in the northern part of West Kalimantan province. They were

temporarily homed in transit cages in Pontianak, waiting for an opportunity to

be transferred to a rehabilitation centre.

 

It wasn't long before a third orangutan, Caleb, was confiscated - this time

in Ketapang, a small town in the southern part of the province, abut seven

hours’ journey by boat from Pontianak city. He was placed in the Yayasan

Palung’s transit centre in Ketapang to await transfer to a rehabilitation

centre.

 

No such facilities exist in West Kalimantan, and all the other orangutan

rehabilitation centers in Central and East Kalimantan were all full at the

time. In May, however, the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), which assists

the BKSDA in caring for captive orangutans in West Kalimantan, heard that Nyaru

Menteng would be able to accommodate these youngsters at the end of the month.

 

Nyaru Menteng is located in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province.

There is no road link between this area and West Kalimantan - nor is there a

direct air link - so the orangutans would have to be flown via Jakarta. In the

space of a day, COP had made arrangements with Sriwijaya Air and cargo to

transport the orangutans to Palangka Raya, and also to transfer Caleb from

Ketapang. He joined Frengky and Thomas in BKSDA's transit cages in Pontianak

that night, to await the journey to Palangka Raya the following morning.

 

At 7.00 am the three orangutans were at the airport, ready for loading. The

plane left at 8.15 am and arrived in Jakarta at about 10.00 am. After a 30

minute wait for the next plane, the orangutans arrived in Palangka Raya at

about 12 noon.

 

All of three orangutans had travelled well and were fine. Thomas looked a

little nervous, but when all three were finally put together in a big cage,

they were so happy. Within minutes they were playing, hanging, biting each

other - and eating!

 

Thanks to Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Nyaru Menteng, BOS-UK and

Orangutan Appeal UK for making this transfer possible

 

Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) is the largest primate rescue

project in the world, with nearly 1000 orangutans in its care. It is the only

organisation

actively rescuing both wild and captive orangutans which have been displaced by

the relentless devastation of their rainforest habitat for logging and the

production of palm oil. The ultimate goal of BOSF is the release of healthy and

rehabilitated orangutans back into protected forest. Borneo Orangutan Survival

International is a registered international charity committed to the protection

of the orangutan and its rainforest habitat, and relies entirely on donations

to achieve this.

 

Report by Yenny Fildayani - COP/Centre for Orangutan Protection - June 2008

 

Full story with images at: http://www.savetheorangutan.co.uk/

 

 

 

Michelle Desilets, Director

Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK

www.savetheorangutan.org.uk

" Primates Helping Primates "

 

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