VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES REPORT - February, 2001
Tanjung Puting National Park
by Drh. I Gede Suarsadana



Dear Friends

Greeting from Friends of National Parks Foundation.

First of all we want to thanks to those who keep supporting FNPF that allow us to Continue our activities. In this month we are very lucky have been saved from our finance problem by some donators as you can find in our February 2001 income and expenses report.

In this occasion we also want to thank to Ms. Marion Hofman and Daniel Hulsman who donated a printer.

In my last visit to the park on February 20 - 23 I still saw some logging activity around the park area. I heard a chainshaw at Pondok Tanggui and some log on the river. From the local people information they informed us that there is also an illegal gold mining close to Camp Leakey that start pollute the river at this area.

One of the park management Drh Abdul Muin mentioned that they need to equipped their ranger ( not the keeper ) with fire gun in other to give more security for them when they stop the logger. So far according to Drh Muin there are some rangers are qualified and have been trained to use fire gun but they do not have any gun and the licence to use it. They propose Rp. 40.000.000 to buy 20 pcs of fire guns and Rp. 8.720.000 to obtain the licences for 58 rangers. We hope we can provide these facility but we could not do it by our self considering our limitation budget. Right now there are some policemen stay in some post but they could not do much to stop the logging.

The park also have a difficulties to control the logging and the palm oil plantation because they do not have a valid map of the park after the loggers destroyed their office last year. If there is anybody can help them to make a new valid map it will be a great help for the park.

We hope we can involve the local people more in our activities especially in reforestation program and try to encourage them to make another way to live beside logging and mining so we will have more success. From the field observation most of the logger are not come from the village surround the park but from the other village and the immigrants to Borneo.

Once again thank you very much for all of your great support and we hope we can do more in the future.

Sincerely yours,

Drh I Gede Nyoman Bayu Wirayudha
Director of FNPF

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Volunteer Report
By Drh Herlin Rangkuty
February 19, 2001

Tanjung Harapan Station

On January 16, 2001, Bonzen came to the station with some wounds on his body. Laceration wound found on his head (frontalis lateralis) in 8 cm length, Cervicalis caudalislateralis right 10 cm length, thoracalis medialis around 2nd - 3rd costae 7 cm length, and some small wounds on both right and left hands, on the back and head. I gave him treatment with :
-Triple antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin-Neomycin-Polimyxin B)
-Injection Trimetotad, Dexametazone, and vitamin C (intra muscular)
-stitches his wounds and clean it with alcohol and rivanol
I also gave him daily antibiotic for about 4 days. On the 4th day, his wound badly open because of Nyoman bite. In the middle of the night (12'clock) with Ms. Blum help, I re-stitch his wounds and gave him some antibiotic too. After 9 days of treatment, his wounds getting better.

Pondok Tanggui

On January 12, 2001, Corin and Copral got attacked by wild orangutan and we have to catch Corin on the next day. Corin's wounds is just the same like Bonzen has. She got wounds in her heads, ears, shoulder, back and her hands. I treated her with the same treatment for Bonzen. She is getting better now. Copral only got small wounds on her ears. We have to look after both of them daily because if we just a bit careless their wounds will soon badly open. We have to re-stitches their wounds for sometime.

I found problem when keep Corin in the cage because she was easy to get stress. I decided to release her with Copral on 21st January. But before I released her I gave them antibiotic tablet for the last time to prevent them from infection. I check their conditions every time they come to the feeding place.They are getting better and there is no sign of infection on their wounds and the wounds is already healed.

Camp Leakey

On January 7, the rangers in Camp Leakey informed me that Mochtar was very sick and the way he walk is very strange with some wounds on his back. On the same day I went to Camp Leakey and with the rangers help I tried to catch him. We caught him the next day (Jan. 8) using blow pipe gun. On his left thigh (lumbalis lateralis) I found an ulcer with two deep holes with 1 cm in diameter. I cleaned this wounds with alcohol 70% and Rivanol then I injected him with terramicyn plus put some ointment on the wounds. We couldn't keep Mochtar in the cage because he was escaped from the cage by breaking the cage's wire. We couldn't find him for about a week and every time we see him he will soon run away to the forest. A week after I treated him, he showed up in the feeding place with no sign of infections on his wounds. His wound is already healed and he is back to his daily activities in the forest.

On January 19, I got informations from the rangers in Camp Leakey that Urol, Unyuk's son came to the rangers house in bad condition. He got lots of wounds on his hands, both of his hands, feet and his back. In the evening the same day Kosasih showed up and Urol ran away from him to the forest. Urol is 12 years old and a bout 30 kg in weight. Urol came to the station again on January 21 and the rangers catch him using blow pipe (Ketamine). At 22.00 night, we brought him to Tanjung Harapan station (to the clinic) and treated him with antibiotic and multi vitamin. I also treated him with topical ointment and we have to gave him tranquilizer to cleaned his wounds up. His wounds was already rotten and there is a pus in his wounds. He got bad infections on his hands, fingers, right foot, and his back. The worst one is on his foot with 10 cm in length and 3 cm deep. I cleaned all his wounds with alcohol 70% and Rivanol, Terramicyn injection to the wounds and then at last I have to stitches his wounds. He is already recovery from the wounds.

I have to report the bad news we have with Michael the Gibbon. He was pass away on 10 February 2001. I suspect it was caused by Tetanus infection. I found him dead in the morning at 6'oclock in front of the rangers house. The rangers said that he was OK the day before he die. He looked active as usual. From the necropsy to him and I found :
- Gastroenteritis catarrhalis
- Hepatitis ulcerous nodularis
- Limpadenitis
- Nephritis superficialis lateralis acute
- Ulcer on his right middle foot fingers.
I sent the specimen to the laboratory in Pangkalan Bun to make sure the histopathology report of his death.

Sincerely Yours,
Drh. Herlin

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Volunteer Report
Observation Trail Project
By Jacky
February 2001

Dear Friends,

After finished the first trekking trail (Pondok Tanggui to Tanjung Harapan), we decided to make the second trail with the same route. We finished the first trail on January 15 - 17 2001 with the rangers and the villager. The person who involve in this project were Mr. Iyan (from the village), Ngurah (volunteer), Jacky, and Suriansyah.

On the first project we tried to find the path way and put sign on it (along the trail). On the second project we tried to make the new trail and marked them with some special marking. We also made a camping ground and bridges. The person who involve in the first project were Alan, Jacky, Jimmy, Kasri, Suriansyah, Sugeng, Andreas and Abu. We finally can finished the trail within 9 days.

We hope by making those two new trails we can do the following activities:
1. Controlling
With this new trial we hope that we can monitoring and watching the park and the orangutan activities.
2. Flora and fauna inventory
With these trails we can collect more data about the plantation and bio diversity of the park.
3. Reforestation
Through these new trial we can see the forest destruction. so if we have enough budget for reforestation program we can start from these area.
4. Ecotourism
By having these new trails we may can give more idea to the guest who visit the park about what are happening and hopefully can get more support for the park conservation.

From our rough estimation we have made about 35 km trial from Pondok Tanggui to Tanjung Harapan.

Sincerely Yours,
Jacky.

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