Journey back to the Wild – The Orangutans of The Borneo Survival Centre in Central Kalimantan.

As we floated down the river, our guide pointed out the islands where the orangutans from the BORNEO ORANGUTAN SURVIAL CENTRE (BOS) were released as part of their

re-introduction into the wild.

It was around one of the feeding stations on this island that we first glimpsed our orange “Orang Utan”, the man of the forest! It seemed that he was also interested in us as well. His stern and grumpy Old Man stare that my camera captured, had me laughing, as it reminded me of an old uncle I had, who had this exact face on every moment of the day.

We later learned that the Orangutans on these islands are taught how to survive by their surrogate volunteer human mothers from the BOS centre. The centre wants to ensure that the newly released Orangutans are eating nutritiously, therefore  the release islands have feeding stations on them. Twice daily, volunteers come by and leave milk to ensure that they are indeed getting their daily dosage of nutrients.

As we continued to float down the river, we had to say bye to the orange Old Man. We soon passed what looked like many nests in the trees. This indicated activity in the area, so we became excited in hopes of spotting more Orangutans. We did not have to wait long, since around the bend of the river, our boat came upon a group of Orangutans that were clamoring around a feeding station.

Lunchtime must be near!

It was in my opinion the most amazing sight that I have seen. Orangutans in the wild!

Later at the BOS centre we learned the harrowing tales of how so many of the Orangutans came to them. How their homes, families and life were ripped from them – often quite literally. Not only where these animals facing habitat loss, but many baby Orangutans are valued as pets in the illegal animal market, and their mothers and other members of their family are killed in order to capture them.

It was heartbreaking. We also learned of the dedication of the volunteer staff who some become surrogates for the orphaned Orangutans (and would stay with them for up to 7 years). These dedicated volunteers take on the role ofmothers to these orphans, and teach them survival techniques; always with the goal in mind to release them back into the wild.

As we sat on the other side of the river watching the group watching us, I had a moment in where I was overwhelmed with what I saw. First I should explain that I studied Primatology at the University of Calgary (in Canada) with only the Calgary Zoo as my point of measure for these Great Apes.
Therefore, to be able to see them in their natural environment with nothing but a river between us made me realize just how lucky I was to have had this opportunity! Witnessing these brilliant apes in one of the last few refuges for them brought me to tears. Who knows if they will be around much longer due to the consequences of habitat loss.  

As I sat there reflecting on this moment, I was quickly brought back to reality with the antics of the young ones in the group! One was playing hide and seek behind a tree, another was making faces, while a third was showing off his acrobatic talents. All together they had me laughing, and feeling as though I was watching children at a playground.

It was then a thought occurred to me as I watched these precocious little ones…they were born free!

The changing world around them, the cruelty they see, and a life in cages, is no life for anyone. It was on this trip that I knew how important it was to support groups like BOS who are trying to find ways to help these Great Apes survive in our world.

The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation is the largest primate rescue project in the world, with nearly 1000 orangutans in its care. BOS actively rescues wild orangutans from oil-palm plantations, as well as rehabilitating orphaned orangutans, displaced as a result of the relentless devastation of their habitat to clear land for palm oil production. BOS is committed to protecting the orangutan and its rainforest habitat, and relies entirely on donations to achieve this. Adopt an oranguatan today!
www.savetheorangutan.org

By Priti Obhrai-Martin
Photos By Priti Obhrai-Martin