ORANGUTAN REHABILITATION REPORT
By. Drh. Herlin Rangkuty June 12, 2001

Dear Friends,

In this report, I will inform you about the most recent occurrences in Tanjung Puting National Park. This report includes the orangutan rehabilitation project, fish farm, and activities we have done in the last month. We still are involved with the activities at two of the Park's stations; Pondok Tanggui and Tanjung Harapan Harapan. However, OFI has taken over Camp Leakey and refuses us to continue our work there.

I. PONDOK TANGGUI

In this station, we did the regular activities as below:

• Check the orangutan at the feeding place, record their absence. In the last two weeks, only few of the orangutan came to the feeding place. This could be caused by they could find food as now is a fruit season at the park. We can see them more along Sekonyer river close to the police station. Corin, Copral, and Doyok come to this place quite often.
• We maintained the path way around the post and also make a new path way to go to the feeding site.
• We fix the shelter for the visitor include the roof, floor, clean up the fern and some of the bridge. This time we have fixed two shelters, one on the bridge and the other one in front of the station.
• We make a bench for the visitor in the feeding place, we hope that the visitor won't come closer to the feeding platform.

The veterinarian student help us to check orangutans health condition. We did the preventive treatment to orangutan from intestine from worm infection. In the last two weeks the trees along the Seikonyer river has it's fruits and flowers. We can see some wild orangutan come down to the river bank to find this foods. There is one adult male orangutan on the other side of the Seikonyer river. Sometime we can see one big female and 3 4 juveniles. Right now we are worry about the orangutan's condition in the other side of the river because the illegal logging still going on around this area. The big palm oil plantation about 2 km from the river make it worse. If the forest destruction still going on it is very possible that the orangutan will go to the palm oil plantation or the village near by the forest to find food. Many orangutans have been killed when they entered the plantation especially when they destroy some plants and sometime if there is any baby the villagers will sell it or keep it as a pet.

We think that we have to save them from this possibility and we could move them to the other side of the river which is the park area. I have asked brought matter to the Park Management's attention, but I so far we do not get any confirmation regarding this matter.

II. TANJUNG HARAPAN

We did some activities such as:

• Daily feeding.
• Clean up the surrounding station and building maintenance.
• Clean up orangutan's cages, and keep the hygiene of the cage tools and feeding instruments.
• Safety control for Adung, Lady, and also Nyoman and Bonzen.
• Orangutanís healthy control.
• Kelotok maintenance.
• Continuing the English lesson at the elementary school in the village.
• The students have a good progress in practicing. They try to speak to visitors who come to their village.

Davida, Congo, and Janari were never appear around the station in the last two weeks. They never come to the feeding site. The last time we saw them at the river bank about 5 km upriver. Nyoman and Bonzen come to the station and sleep in the station every 4 days. Once they come to station, on the next 4 days they stay in the forest. We can observe them along the Seikonyer river bank close to the station. Few days a go we saw them at the river bank in front of Rimba Lodge with one wild orangutan juvenile.

Further more up river, we saw two others wild juvenile orangutans about 50 meters from Rimba Lodge. Adung and Lady showed lots of progress. They can play on the tree for about 3-4 hours then come down to take rest. Sometime, Adung play together with Nyoman and Bonzen but Lady doesn't want too. She still afraid of this two orangutan. Lady's climbing ability is getting better. Right now she can reach the highest tree branch in front of the station.

III. Orangutan Health Condition

Orangutan health condition in two stations in general are very good . We still giving them vitamins in their food. From the regular fecal test in Tanjung Harapan, we found that Lady got diarrhea from Balantidium sp. infections. We try to prevent this infection by keep the good hygiene to their cage and food. We also try to reduce their contact with the ground because it can be the infection sources.

Balantidiosis is one of the Zoonosis (disease which can be transfer from animal to human and from human to animal). I have confirmed this to all of the staffs and explain them about the disease and how to prevent them from contracting this disease.

I have to used some of the medicines at the clinic for the staffs such as flu, headache, itchy, and other diseases. I also have to give some of our medicine to the villagers who can not go to the doctor and buy their medicines. We desperately need more medicine for the villager and also for the staffs despite orangutan.

IV. FISH FARM

We have finished the breeding pond. We are working with another pond for the juvenile fish right now. All of the ponds that we have here are in good condition. Some of the fish died because of the water change very fast and caused shock to the fish. We also try to keep a different species of fish in the pond.

That is all I can report for this month. Thank you very much for the attention and support.

Sincerely Yours,
Drh. Herlin Rangkuty

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VOLUNTEER REPORT
VETERINARIAN STUDENTS
UDAYANA UNIVERSITY BALI-INDONESIA
Second month May 15 - June 15 2001

Dear Friends,
In this second report, our volunteer report we would like to inform you all of our volunteer activities in the park during the second month. In this period of time, we keep continue doing the medical activities for the orangutan, fish farm project, documentation and maintenance the trekking pathways. We also would like to include the orangutan health conditions.

Here is our report:

TANJUNG HARAPAN STATION

I. Medical Activities

1. Adung (Male, 1 years and 9 months old)
   Adung got Influenza, diarrhea, Balantidium colli infection and itchy. We gave him treatment and record it for his file. He is healthy now and his weight increases 0,5 kg in 15 days. His behavior is very strange. Can not make his own nest, and also afraid of being alone and he is very sensitive to pineapple. His best progress is his ability to climb the tree and the prolong of his playing time with others.
2. Lady (female, 3 years and 6 months old)
   Lady got Balantidium colli infection, influenza and diarrhea. We gave her treatment as well as Adung. She is very healthy now. She loves to playing water and spend the time alone. She can not build her own nest and stay on the ground which is very danger for her. She can get worm infection and even worse attacked by wild boar.
3. Nyoman (Male, 4 years old)
   His eyes swollen in the eyelids from the ecto-parasite infection. He just getting better now. He can make his own nest and can stay for 2 - 3 days in the forest. He is not afraid with human and need to be trained.
4. Bonzen (Male, 4 years and 5 months)
   He got fungi infection on the skin and swollen eyes. He is getting better even without any treatment. It is very contrast with Nyoman, he is afraid to human and always stay together with Nyoman and very afraid if Nyoman leave him. He can make nest and find foods in the forest.
5. Berry the Gibbon (Male 1 year 5 months)
   He have lipoma on his thigh and we have to cut this by doing a surgery. His condition is normal. He really loves to stay around people and very depends on them.

II. Fish Farming Project

We have finished 5 ponds and 2 breeding ponds for the Red Tilafia. We also finished 1 breeding pond for the cat fish and 3 ponds for the juvenile fish. We made the pond together with the villagers and discussed the possibility of the diseases in fish we have. The ponds is located in Tanjung Harapan Village.

III. Free Treatment for the Dogs and the Cats in the Village

We work together with the Government Officials (Husbandry Department) to do the free treatment for the dogs and cats in the village. We gave them ecto-parasite treatment for free. There are about 60 dogs in the village of Tanjung Harapan but we can only treated 14 of them plus 1 cat. We couldn’t do to all of them because the dogs are street dog, no one take care of them. We will do Rabies vaccination next week in the village.

IV. Other activities

• Helping the rangers to paint the guest house
• Clean up the river from the garbage and maintenance the garden around the station.

V. Wild Orangutan and Rehabilitation Observation

This month we see lots of wild orangutan along Seikonyer river inside and outside of the park. This is caused by the fruits season. Orangutan named Davida and her son David, Congo and her baby, and also adult male named Yanari visit the station regularly.

PONDOK TANGGUI

I. Medical Activities

1. Rosemary (Female, around 24 years old), Rika (Female, 3 years 2 months old), Darmono (Male, 7 years 6 months old)
   They always together when visit the feeding place. Their conditions are good and since May 10 they never come to the feeding place. We saw them at the river bank eating the pandanus fruit. Darmono has already can make his own nest and stay far away from Rosmary.
2. Kopral (Female, 8 years old), Korin (Female, 7 years and 6 months old), Doyok (Male, 8 years old)
   They always together where ever they go and visit the station regularly. Kopral is not afraid to human because she has long contact with human (when she was kept by the owner). Doyok and Korin very afraid of human.
3. Linda (Female, 8 years 6 months old), Mindolin (Female, 8 years old), Siswa (Female, 8 years old)
   They are all in good condition and come to the station seldom. They are afraid of human. They can survive in the forest.
4. Anhar, Jacky, Ijuh, Simbad, Tosido, Masran, Monty, Klombang, Nanang, Rosy, dan Ludowati.
   They did not come to the feeding place from few months ago. They can survive in the forest and at the moment there are lots of fruits for them to eat in the forest.
5. There are about 4 wild orangutan around the station and other 6 are on the other side of the river. We also gave the orangutan preventive intestine infection by giving them Anthelminthic (intestine worm medicine) for once in three month.

II. Making New Trail and Maintenance of the Trekking Trail.

We assisted the ranger to maintenance the trekking trial and try to make new trail around the station. We hope that visitor can make a short walk around the station.

In this occasion we would like to offer some ideas:

• We have to evaluate the rehabilitation project we have been doing to make sure that it can be combined with the eco-tourism.
• We need more information books or leaflets in the information room.
• We have to think of the ranger and staff’s welfare because the price of the daily needed is increasing crazily.

That is all our second month report.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Sincerely Yours,
FNPF’s Volunteers

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