Dear Friends,

Greeting from FNPF

We are very pleased to inform you that we are now back at work at Tanjung Harapan.

The three orangutan babies that we kept at Kumai have been transferred and trained at Tanjung Harapan. We need some maintenance work either to the post building, water treatment, electricity and the cage. At the moment we still cannot enter the second post Pondok Tanggui as there are several people still stay there. We do not really understand now what is the real reason why those people still there even though they have gotten their money that they claimed from the local government. The park management still negotiate with this people.

On this occasion we would like to thank the Earthwatch Institute who let our vet Drh. I Made Sugiarta to join to join the Earthwatch "Australia's Forest Wildlife & Ecology" project from 12-21 March 2003. We believe that he gained much useful experience during that event and hopefully he could do more for Indonesian wildlife conservation. We also would like to thank everybody who keeps supporting us especially during the hard times when we were not able to work at the park.

We hope all of the problems at the park will be solved soon which will allow us to do more. Please find the report from our staff for February 2003.

Sincerely yours,

Drh I Gede Nyoman Bayu Wirayudha
Director of FNPF.

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Activity report by FNPF staff - February 2003

At the start of the month, our activities were centered around the office because we were not yet able to enter into the Tanjung Harapan and Pondok Tanggui ranger posts. Even so, we have received information from the TNTP Branch Head that the Tanjung Harapan village head (Mr. Rismansyah) has provided a letter to the park authorities confirming that the Tanjung Harapan and Pondok Tanggui posts have been handed back to the authorities to administer. At this moment, both posts are open for visitors. Responding to the above letter, the TNTP authorities plan to re-enter and resume activities in the park beginning 1st March 2003 and the FNPF will then return to carry out programs at Tanjung Harapan post.

Orangutan Condition report

At the moment, the three orangutans that we are looking after are in a healthy condition; unfortunately they could not receive any climbing training as they are still in Kumai. God willing, the orangutans will be able to be return to training at Tanjung Harapan such that they can be released into their habitat as soon as possible. They have been under the care of our baby sitter, receiving food of around 40 kg bananas & 800 gr dancow milk every week. Their bodies are looking fatter and their fur is clean & thick. Drh. Made Sugiarta also carried out a general health check up on the three orangutans on 27th February 2003. The results of the examination is that all three are in a healthy condition.

Mengkudu Program report (morinda citrifolia)

Activity on the program this month was restricted as all staff were engaged in carrying out the sun bear survey at Buluh Besar river. 20 Mengkudu seedlings have been planted; we now have around 2000 seedlings ready and these will be planted once we re-enter Tanjung Harapan.

Sun Bear Survey report

During February the main activity we undertook was to carry out a survey in the Buluh Besar River area. This survey is the 2nd survey carried out with the aim of trying to find more accurate information about the presence of sun bear, orangutan, proboscis monkey, other wildlife as well as identifying the species of trees present in areas around the park. As part of the survey, we also noted the frequency of occurance of illegal logging, traces of forest fire and theft of gembor bark together with the impact on the Buluh Besar River area. The observation was carried out over 7 days and some of the items encountered are as follows :

1. Orangutan Nests : 76 Locations
2. Illegal Logging areas : 28 Locations
3. Proboscis Monkey areas : 15 Locations
4. Long tailed macaques areas : 9 Locations
5. Wild Orangutan sighting : 4 Locations
6. Traces of forest fires : 11 Locations
7. Bird Sighting : Binturung : 2 Locations
8. Bird Sighting : hornbill : 2 Locations
9. Bird sighting : Biti : 1 Locations
10. Tributary : 13 Locations
11. Ranger (Jagawana) Post : 1 Locations
12. Short / clogged tributaries : 7 Locations
13. Gibbon sighting : 1 Locations
14. Deer sighting : 1 Locations
15. Bird sighting : woodpecker : 1 Locations
16.Location gembor bark theft : 4 Locations
17.Rover channel barrier : 5 Locations
18. Bird sighting : Dandang : 2 Locations
19. Fisherman's hut : 1 Locations

The above data was taken from sample areas and the obersvations above cannot be taken to represent all the areas around the Buluh Besar river as there are still many interior areas along the Buluh Besar river that have not been surveyed. A more complete report has been prepared separately. Such is the report of our activities for Feb 2003. We wish to thank all who have helped and supported our activities.

Greetings in Conservation,
FNPF staff