Those who are into road trip should consider exploring East
Kalimantan. A short road trip to and from the cities of Balikpapan and
Samarinda, for instance, is relatively convenient and both ends offer
you a culinary adventure as well as other possibilities in between.
Samboja Lestari Center is a rehabilitation facility and sanctuary for
orangutans that had been rescued from unfortunate situations. It aims
to prepare the orangutans to be released back to their natural habitat,
albeit not every orangutan is eligible for release due to handicaps,
illnesses or behavioral disorders.
Imam Muslimin, animal welfare supervisor at Samboja Lestari told The Jakarta Post
in late August that the facility observes the orangutans every day, and
it relies on the observation data to decide whether or not an orangutan
is capable of being released.
Samboja Lestari comprises 10 man-made islands where the orangutans
are placed. Each island is bordered with a water feature to prevent the
orangutans from escaping.
“One of our education programs is to teach [the orangutans] to never
cross the river. If an orangutan falls into the water, especially deep
waters, he or she has no chance of surviving unless there is help,” said
Imam, also explaining that orangutans have legs that are shorter than
their arms, hence longer and heavier upper bodies that makes it
difficult for them in the water.
Regarding “education”, the orangutans are also encouraged to
socialize with their counterparts, so that they will be able to get
along well with wild orangutans once they are released.
Samboja Lestari’s island 6 is where a female orangutan named Ani
dwells. Ani shares the island with Rambo, a male orangutan. The animal
keepers arranged this settlement with hopes that Rambo, a release
candidate, could encourage Ani –who is severely traumatized- to improve
her behavior so that she becomes eligible for release.
Imam, speaking of Rambo in manners of a doting father, said that the male orangutan was taken over from Ancol Dream Park.
Rambo is said to be active and territorial, showing the ability to
survive in the wild. On the other hand, Ani would only wait for her
food, eat, sleep, repeat, failing to master survival skills.
“Orangutans have the habit to imitate each other. That is why we
arrange for orangutans with different skills to live on the same island,
so that they can learn from each other,” said Imam.
At the time of writing, Ani still hasn’t changed although she has lived close to Rambo the role model for some time.
Regardless of sharing an island together, the orangutans are not expected to mate to produce babies.
Samboja Lestari firmly states that it is not a breeding facility.
Therefore, the female orangutans are put on birth control before being
sent to live with their male counterparts. With a similar reproductive
system as humans, orangutans could be put on a human birth control
program.
At times, birth control could fail, leading to the birth of a “baby
by accident”. One of the babies of this category is called Marlon, and
seeing him swinging from one tree to another gives the understanding of
why some people would take orangutans as pets. These animals are too
adorable to ignore. But above all, their place is in the wild.
“How do you feel when the day has come for an orangutan to be released?” the Post asked Imam.
“If I want to be selfish, I am sad. I interact with the orangutan
every day, and then we have to part. But this is what’s best for them.
Orangutans are destined to be in the wild,” answered Imam.
Shortly afterwards, we let the orangutans return to their
heat-avoiding nap and proceeded to the sun bear sanctuary. While the
former live behind the boundaries of water, the latter are kept behind
metal fences that surround their vast green playgrounds.
Imam said that all the bears in Samboja Lestari are confiscated from individuals or companies.
Unlike the orangutans that are prepared to be released, however, the
bears in the sanctuary will stay inside the fence for the rest of their
lives.
The bears don’t seem to mind though, as we saw one of them excitedly
eating a frozen pineapple stuffed with oats, another one walked back and
forth energetically and another moved its head to the right and left as
if listening to its favorite song.
According to Imam, the wilderness nowadays may become too challenging
for the bears, as food has been scarce and their natural habitat is
declining.
On our bumpy way back to the main road from Samboja Lestari, I was
relieved for the orangutans and honey bears that have been rescued and
taken care of in loving hands. But I realize that for orangutans to
return to the wild would mean an arduous journey for themselves as well
as their caretakers.
The Post’s journey to meet the orangutans had been made
convenience with a local, experienced individual who drove a car that
was in prime condition, booked using the rent feature courtesy of Grab
Indonesia. (JakartaPost)
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
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Getting ready for the jungle: Story of Rambo and other orangutans at Samboja Lestari
Getting ready for the jungle: Story of Rambo and other orangutans at Samboja Lestari
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