The cub is very healthy, its hind legs have fully recovered and it always wants to play! A simple enclosure is being built for the leopard at Camp Gemini in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve and once it is finished the cub will be moved there.

Hopefully more news and photos to follow soon.

Thank you for your support,

Orangutan Foundation

The first orangutan was reported in a community-owned plantation in Mendawai Seberang.  The owner said that the orangutan who was wandering round his plantation was a male. The Foundation team visited the plantation, which is a mixture of rubber, pineapple and oil palm.

Mixed Crop Plantation – the dominant vegetation is rubber and pineapple

In the rubber trees old and new orangutan nests were seen.

Orangutan nests found in the rubber trees

There was also the visible remnants of crop damage for example pineapple fruits that had been eaten by the orangutan. After a few hours of trying to find the orangutans, the team gave up.

Pineapple Fruit eaten by orangutan

About 5 days later the plantation owner telephoned us again because the orangutan was still causing damage to his crops.  Our team left for the plantation immediately and found the large adult male.

Orangutan in tree

Dr Fikri, our vet began preparing the anesthesia which he  administered by using a blowpipe, which was generously funded by Colchester Zoo’s Action for the Wild.

Drug Preparation

The orangutan was successfully darted first time.

Photos above: orangutan has been sedated

Weighing  and medical examination of orangutan

Orangutan in the Cage

After conducting health checks to ensure that no injury had occurred he was put into the cage. All rescued animals must be taken to the BKSDA (wildlife department) office.

Orangutan taken from the Plantation

Orangutan transfer to kelotok 

Orangutan at the BKSDA Office

Orangutan in Move to Kelotok

Last Friday, 11^th May, the male was released into the Reserve. This involved having to transfer the 65 kg orangutan from the pick-up truck into a Kelotok (motorised canoe).  The river levels in the reserve were extremely low so it was decided that the orangutan should be released from the canoe rather than trying to lift the cage out and carrying to the forest.  As soon as the cage was opened the wild orangutan climbed straight out and up into the tree and moved off into the forest.

Orangutan in tree

Orangutan free in the trees

The second rescue occurred 2 days ago from an oil palm plantation near the village of Amin Jaya. It was another adult male, about 15 years old.  More details and photos to follow shortly.

Thank you for your continued support and thank you Carol Ritchie for you lovely email!

Orangutan Foundation

RELEASE ORANGUTAN

Photo 23. Orangutan From the BKSDA Office to the Karang Anyar

Photo 24. Orangutan in Move to Kelotok

Photo 25. Orangutan in Release I

Photo 26. Orangutan in Release II

Photo 27. Orangutan in the Trees I

Photo 28. Orangutan in the Trees II

The mother orangutan, Tiffany, was observed at  Camp JL, an orangutan release camp run by the Orangutan Foundation.  Staff tried to determine the sex of the new born but Tiffany was very protective of her son and fled when approached by field staff.  On one occasion the staff managed to see that the sex of the baby is male.  Up to now both Tiffany and her new baby are healthy and well.

Enjoy the pics!

Please help us to keep these orangutans save by supporting our Habitat Protection Guard Post Appeal

The Orangutan Foundation team left the port town of Pangkalan Bun late morning and arrived at the village of Bayat four hours later. After some discussion with the villagers we saw the leopard cub which was being stored in a cardboard box and was silent and motionless.

 Dr Fikri, the Orangutan Foundation’s vet, examining the cub being held by villagers

Information obtained from the villagers was that leopard cub was found at night on the road leading to the iron ore mining site.  They saw the mother clouded leopard walking across the road carrying her cub in her mouth.  When the iron ore vehicles passed they must have startled the mother who dropped her cub and ran away.  It is thought that the vehicle hit the cub, though very lightly.  The iron ore mining vehicles were heading to the port of Pangkalan Bun.

The people of Bayat village had been looking after the cub for 2 days before we arrived.

Orangutan Foundation vet with the cub

Baby clouded leopard weak and silent

Cub not able to walk

The good news is that the cub is progressing well and is in pretty good health. Initially it was always unsteady when standing and its walking wasn’t normal.  It had problems with both hind legs. This pain seems to have now gone and its walking is normal and sometimes it even climbs the wall of its cage.

Cub alert and seems healthy

It is eating and drinking. Its current weight is ± 2 Kg. Looking at the husbandry manual on the Clouded Leopard Project website this suggests its age may be between 60 and 90 days old.  It is still very early days for the cub.  More news to follow soon…

Thank you

Orangutan Foundation

Please consider a donation to support our work by visiting our website or bid on a Gary Hodge’s print that is being auction in aid of the Foundation. Thank you!

On 18^th April staff from the Indonesian Government’s Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources (BKSDA SKW II) Pangkalan Bun office informed us that an infant orangutan (± 1 year) was at their Sampit office.

Dr Fikri and the rescue team drove the 5 hours to Sampit, along the dusty and pothole-ridden road.  After arriving at the Sampit office the team were shown the orangutan which was being kept in a holding cage. When approached, the orangutan was anxious and frightened and frequently “kiss squeaked” (the sound orangutans make when they are distressed).

Photo 1. Orangutan in The Office BKSDA Sampit Area

Photo 2. Cage being lifted into Orangutan Foundation pick-up truck for the long jorney back to Pangkalan Bun.

The BKSDA staff said the orangutan was female and came from the community.  It was found in a public-owned rubber plantation near Patai village of Cempaga Hulu District, East Kotawaringin.  Bordering the rubber plantation was an oil palm plantation, PT. Tunas Agro Subur Kencana III.

Orangutan at the Office of BKSDA Pangkalan Bun

Dr Fikri examined the orangutan once back at the BKSDA office in Pangkalan Bun. After observing the orangutan we estimated her to be ± 3-5 years old, she was healthy and definitely still very wild!

 Examination by Dr Fikri finds her to be in good health.

On 23 April, the orangutan was taken from the BKSDA office to Camp Siswoyo in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve.

Journey to the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve. First by truck and then by boat (below).

Arriving at Camp Siswoyo in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve

Transfer to holding cage

The orangutan will be observed and gradually released into the forest. We hope because she is still very wild at heart that she will have no problems coping by herself in the wild. We hope to bring you more news soon.

Please support our Habitat Protection appeal to keep these orangutans safe.

Experiencing Beautiful ‘Shama’

Its  such interesting experience when you go through the deep of Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan. You can enjoy an unforgetable long river journey to reach Pondok Ambung Research station, about 30 minutes down river from Camp Leakey.

I went to Pondok Ambung Research Station by Orangutan Foundation’s Speed boat as routine duty delivering fresh logistic from Kumai market on 15 April. Staying one night just sensing to be closer to the wildlife habitat there. Butterflies, birds, squirrel, and even little dragonfly can be found easily.

One bird was my interest, I see beautiful bird having long-black tailed and white rump, orange bellied, black head and black eyes as well. Its body size maybe only same as a little coffee cup but looking a bit thin because of its long tailed and neck. It kept jumping between branches, and some times stepping to the ground. Once it jump and step on the ground getting little worm by its beak, and suddenly swallow it.  After swallow the worm, it flew to perch on little branches and singing! Such beautiful long time duration sing.

Moments were capture by my camera, I though that I got some good pictures, not bad at all before it vanish away. Unforgetable and beautiful bird, I know the name is White-rump Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) from book literature, it residence mainly eating worms but occasionally ants and other insect, very clever often immitating other bird calls. Its threated by illegal hunting for their rich chuckling songs, people using this bird for Bird singing competition, now we see it free from threaths because they living in protected area Tanjung Puting National Park.

I think this is just a little story that representing my experience to be closer to wildlife especially birds.  I hope any of you like it. Thank you  Orangutan Foundation UK and Tanjung puting National park and also thanks for Arif Nugroho the manager of Pondok Ambung Research Station.

I hope You will get more interest from this little experience, thanks.

Wawan  (Bambang Setyawan)

OF-UK Finance Manager

Want to visit Tanjung Puting National Park? Visit our www.orangutan.org.uk

Thanks,

Orangutan Foundation

Universities interested in study at Pondok Ambung please contact Orangutan Foundation

Fantastic opportunity to own “Chimpanzee” – a highly collectable print from a drawing. Printed on superb Fabriano 5 art paper, signed by world famous artist Gary Hodges (www.garyhodges-wildlife-art.com) and limited to 850 copies, it was published in 1990 and completely sold out many years ago.

“Chimpanzee” has sold many times on the secondary market for very high prices. This print has been made unique and all the more valuable with the addition of the signature of actress Rula Lenska.

Place your bids here.  Auction ends 15.00, 12th April 2012.

Read full press release here and sign an online petition to enforce the law protecting Tripa Peat Swamp and its orangutan populations.

Please support this important action.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation

Rescued orangutan Anton in his enclosure at the Reserve

In the morning, the orangutan Anton was taken to the safety of the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve (Central Kalimantan, Borneo) by boat. Anton arrived at Camp JL was given rambutan fruit (a favourite), bananas and milk.  Once inside his temporary enclosure Anton was still visibly stressed – running and climbing about all over his cage. He didn’t take the fruit or milk.  By the afternoon, Anton had calmed down and he had drank the milk and eaten all the fruit.  Anton will be monitored carefully to see how he adapts to his new environment.

We would like to thank our partners Care For The Wild International for their support of our work in Lamandau.  Please consider supporting our work by making a donation or adopting an orangutan.

Thank you,

Orangutan Foundation