|
|
|
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES REPORT - August, 2000
Tanjung Puting National Park
by Drh. I Gede Suarsadana
Dear Friends
Greetings from Friends of National Parks Foundation.
First of all we wish to thank those who keep supporting our activities. It is so appreciated.
The illegal logging and mining still remains the biggest problem in Tanjung Puting National Park. They never stop, even when there are some policemen observing their activities along the river. The loggers work during the day and night. Their main activities are along the Sekonyer River and around Pondok Tanggui and behind the Tanjung Harapan station. We still can hear their chain saws from the first and second station and they are continuously dragging their logs along Sekonyer river out of the park.
Right now we are trying to get an extension of our Memorandum of Understanding
from the Park management. Although our MoU is still valid until the end of
next year, we need to have a longer period to allow us to work more we planned. So
please send your comments to the Director of National Parks and Reserve: Mr.
Widodo S Ramono e mail:
Once again thank you for your kind attention and support.
Sincerely yours,
Drh I Gede Nyoman Bayu Wirayudha
Director of FNPF
***************************************************************************
Volunteer Activities Report, In general the condition of the Orangutan at the three stations are ok.
August, 2000.
By Drh I Made Widana
All the babies in first station ( Tanjung Harapan ) are in good condition. I check the babies everyday, their behavior , appetite and general health condition. Nyoman, Bonzen, Yuyun come to the station regularly, so I can check them when they are feeding. Sometime they overnight in the cage ( room) behind the clinic and next day they go to the forest. They come to the station every 2 or 3 days. They also sometimes follow the adult female Davida to the forest.
Alui and Adung still stay at the station. At the moment we separate Alui from Adung because we have to give Adung treatment for diarrhea after he fell from the trees a few days ago.After falling to the ground, Adung was not breathing at all. I suspected he was in shock because he fell from the tree. I gave him artificial respiration and then he woke up. In the next day he got diarrhea. I checked his feces and I did not find any sign of infection. I decided to give him some medicine to stop his diarrhea sign. He was better over the next two days after the treatment.
Now Alui is in a good condition. She sometimes climbs the trees for 2-3 hours and I think she is a little more independent now, but she is still clinging around the ranger house only.
We have a new ex-captive Orangutan which was given voluntarily to us. Right now she is at the first station for quarantine and for any examination necessary. Her name is Lady and she is about 2 years and 5 months old. We brought her to the first station Tanjung Harapan on August 26. She had been kept as a pet for 2 years in Pangkut village in Central Borneo. We have been told by her former owner that she was left by her mother because of the dog attack. She used to be fed with human food such as rice with ketchup, coffee-milk, tea and others. She looked in good condition and she has long dark hair but she could not walk and climb the trees at all. From the owner information we found out that she could not walk because she always stay inside the house, so she never learned to walk properly as the floor is slippery. She moves by dragging her bottom just like a human baby in the first stage of crawling.
I have made physical and the fecal examination test and I did not find anything wrong with her. We tried to reduce the human food in her diet and start to give her only milk and banana. It was ok for a while but in the next day she changed a little bit. She drank only small amounts of milk and ate a few bananas. She was not as aggressive as before. We changed her diet but hope she will gradually get used to less human diet.
During the first night she did not sleep until late but recently she goes to sleep around 6 o'clock in the evening as the other babies. We still have to give a special attention to her to make sure she can adapt with her new place and life.
Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey
So far there is no problem in those stations. Michael the gibbon is fine and he still stays around the station only. Sometimes he joins the feeding and then back to the station with the rangers. The number of the orangutans that come to the feeding area at Pondok Tanggui are about 5-8 Orangutans. I hope the other Orangutans already got used to the forest and can find their own food. But we fear the loggers nearby.
We have good news from Camp Leakey. Tutut one of the ex captive Oranutans had a baby three weeks ago. At the moment we do not know about the babie's sex. I also have been informed by the ranger at Camp Leakey that Princess is probably pregnant now.
Recently I and Mr. Susiantoro visited Nyaru Menteng, Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan. Another Orangutan rehabilitation project which is doing Orangutan reintroduction in this area. This facility is running by Mr. Odom in cooperation with Wanariset in East Kalimantan. In the same time Mr. Andre from Alam Indah Tours Bali also visited this facility where there are 53 orangutans.
The place is so nice and excellent for the orangutans. This area is not open to the public but hopefully a new release site can be secured.
Best regards
Drh I Made Widana
FNPF Volunteer
***************************************************************************