The Great Orang Utan Project Blog

Ali's New Enclosure

2009-10-23T22:13:00.002+08:00

Our volunteers in July 09 were set the task of re-building one of our enclosures, making it fit for young orangutan. Volunteers of the past 18 months will know the area as the binturong enclosure, opposite the orangutan night dens. The climbing platform was designed by our orangutan keeper, Hilary, and both he and the volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure its completion within their month here. The structure was completed, roped, and a new pond added to the exhibit, initially for the volunteers pleasure but intended in the long run for the orangutans.

For now, this enclosure is intended for Ali.

Presently, he spends most of his days in the jungle with his designated keeper. However, on the odd occasion that he remains at the centre, it was thought best that he have an area that was enriching and designed to facilitate climbing practice. Ali is a very competent climber and has shown little affection for people, two great attributes in terms of potential rehabilitation success.

He is yet to spend a night out as he is quite young (around 2 years of age) and still requires night time care and the occasional feed. It is hoped that he will learn nest building and foraging skills, initially from Chiam and later, from Ghanti and George when they join the orangutan already released.

Our thanks go out to the hard work put in by our July volunteers. The addition of this enclosure to Matang is another small step as we work to bring the centre up to a standard of excellence. It is a fantastic area, presently for Ali, but will stand for many years as a training area for young orangutan. In a few months, we will join Simanggang with Ali in this area to see how well he copes with ropes and climbing structures - and of course another orangutan! We will update you on this event as soon as it happens.

Baby Orangutan Update

2009-10-23T21:26:00.003+08:00

The youngest of Matang's new arrivals, Simanggang, is developing very well. Presently, he spends most of his days in the vet clinic, with Juan's wife, Sangang, as his primary carer. We are being careful to keep the number of humans around him down to a minimum to reduce the risk of him picking up any of our diseases, which could be fatal for him.

Since arriving at Matang, Simanggang has required 24 hour care, which has meant the vet clinic has become a (less than comfortable!) home for some members of staff. He is, by all accounts, extremely healthy and has doubled in weight in the short time he has been here. His strength is quite remarkable for one so small - it is apparent that almost from birth, orangutan are superbly developed for a life of climbing and arboreal living.

Occasionally, this young orangutan has been taken to the trees to see how he may fare in the branches. This was partly inspired by watching Chiam and Ghanti's boys, who look to be similar in age. They are at a stage where the mums are giving them a small amount of independence to climb, around a cage or in Chiam's case, in the trees. There seems no better role model for guidance on baby orangutan than these two. Follow this link to see a short video of Simanggang's efforts in a tree.

Click here for the video

In a few months, Simanggang will join Ali and Ting San on their daily excursions to the jungle for more routinised training. For now though, until he is older, he remains at the vet clinic to continue to gain weight and strength.

Katherine & Peter

2009-09-25T23:21:00.003+08:00

After spending 3 months in quarantine, Katherine (estimated to be around 16 years of age) and Peter (perhaps as old as 25) were transferred into the orangutan dens. The move itself went incredibly smoothly, both orangutan had to be sedated to be moved, and although neither of them are keen on the blowpipe being pointed at them, the move was as stress-free as possible for humans and animals alike.

Peter's current location means he is often in view of George, one of the dominant males at Matang. Though they have seen each other before, this is the first time they have been in close proximity, and neither of them are very happy with the presence of the other. Wisely, when separated by just the bars of a cage, Peter keeps well clear of George, though he was recently seen being quite bold and pulling George's hair! Follow the link for a short video of Peter vocalising at George; this appears to be part aggression and part fear.

Though it is not clear from the video, Peter is very different in appearance to both Aman and George, though it is suspected he is older. This is because Peter is not yet a dominant male, therefore has not developed the prominent secondary sexual characteristics of such. Peter was malnourished on arrival, with no small amount of digestive worms, and it is thought that these factors inhibited his development into a dominant male. With the worms cleared and his nutrition vastly improved, we are waiting to see if he will now grow the characteristic flanges and throat pouch to mark his dominance, or whether this development will be inhibited by the presence of George. These changes are hormonally controlled, and the presence of another dominant male can delay or halt entirely another male's development.

After a couple of days alone to settle in, Katherine was mixed in the large outdoor enclosure with Doris and Ting San. Ting San spends most of her days in the jungle, so Katherine has spent the majority of her time with just Doris for company. Here is a link to a short video of one of their first interactions - Doris did not take kindly to her new housemate, and was witnessed on numerous occasions throwing various objects at Katherine, or hitting her and then bidding a hasty retreat.

Katherine has been completely un-phased by this unfriendly greeting. She has enjoyed herself exploring the new enclosure and has enjoyed interacting with Doris, seemingly unaware that her presence is resented. Doris was initially a little afraid of Katherine and has been forced to give up enrichment on occasion, which is a great change as she has for a long time had her own way entirely over Ting San.

These two orangutan now seem at peace with each other and both seem to like each others company. They still fight over enrichment, but competition can be healthy!

Katherine already has a good relationship with the orangutan keepers here at Matang. She is a very friendly orangutan and seems relatively easy to handle. The keepers are determined to include Katherine in the rehabilitation process and see no reason why she should spend the rest of her life in captivity. We will of course keep you updated on her progress, and her first jungle experience as and when it happens.

Ghanti is released

2009-09-24T21:00:00.003+08:00

On Thursday, September 17th, Ghanti was released from her captive life at Matang. Keepers here had been awaiting Chiam's presence at the centre, so that Ghanti would have a confident orangutan to follow, and to convince her that life is better off in the trees. On the above date, Chiam did indeed return to the centre - she was seen climbing on the tower cage at the front of the orangutan dens and her and Peter were showing great interest in each other. Aman and George were furious, Aman climbing to the top of his platform in the enclosure and shaking it backwards and forth. Perhaps they did not enjoy a female's attentions being given to a sub adult male. The photo below was taken by a volunteer - it is Aman looking down upon Chiam hanging on the side of Peter's cage.

Hilary took this opportunity to open Ghanti's cage and see if she would join Chiam. Burst out through the front doors into freedom she did not, instead sat looking at the open door, and at Hilary, from the comfort of her sack for about twenty minutes. However, when it became clear we were not teasing and this was really the option available, Ghanti did indeed stroll out the front door and made off into the tree line behind Aman's enclosure, with Chiam following quickly after.

The release of orangutan from the centre is certainly bitter sweet. With both Chiam and Ghanti, it was an educational privilege to see, close up, how orangutan mothers deal with the early months after birth, and watch how the relationship and bond between mother and infant begin to develop. Seeing the youngsters mature and gain both in size and confidence has also been wonderful, but always at the back of the mind was the regret that their first learning experiences were of navigating bars rather than trees. It is with gratifying joy that we can now think of these young orangutan learning skills to equip them for a life in the rainforest.

We will keep you posted on Chiam and Ghanti's progression in their new life in Kubah National Park.

Pigtail Macaque

2009-08-18T20:20:00.002+08:00

Matang has one less resident after we felt the effects of being situated within the rainforests of Borneo. A 13 foot reticulated python found its way into the pigtail macaque enclosure on the animal trail and found within a rather tempting meal. It's very likely that this snake, a protected species, is one of the very animals that Matang Wildlife Centre had released into the national park before.

It seemed strange that the python was able to catch the monkey, as if the monkey had stayed at the top of its cage it would not have been in reach. However, the python was presenting lacerations to its back, suggesting that the monkey attacked the snake and unfortunately then found itself in range of the snake's jaws. The python was discovered during morning husbandry - a keeper went to feed the macaque, and instead found a rather large snake in the cage. Thin enough to enter the cage initially, after consuming the monkey the python found itself too large to fit back through the bars and became captive as a consequence.

Keepers here were able to catch the snake with little problem. Its energies were obviously mostly devoted to digesting the huge meal. The python was relocated to an adjacent forested area and released. While it was obviously a shame for the monkey, it was a great opportunity to see nature in action, and a stark reminder that we do indeed work in a jungle!

Chiam and Baby Visit Feeding Platform

2009-08-17T23:01:00.003+08:00

During the first three weeks that Chiam was out in the national park, keepers only saw her once as she came to investigate Ting San's rehabilitation training. Though they continued to call for her and place food at feeding platforms twice a day, it seems Chiam was enjoying herself too much to be concerned with coming back when called for easy food. Indeed, during her first 4 hours out, Chiam built 4 nests, which is certainly in excess of what's required! Orangutan will always build a nest for sleeping, and will commonly make one day nest to take a rest from foraging, but four in one afternoon is certainly not seen. It seemed Chiam was simply feeling the joy of the trees once again. However, recently Chiam returned to the feeding platform recently built on the trail to the ranger station.

She came down in response to keepers calling for her, as they have been doing each day twice daily. The aim of this was to let Chiam know that there would always be someone in the jungle to feed her, should she require extra food. This has obviously worked, Chiam had known where the keepers were going to be at what time and responded to their call.

Both her and the baby appear to be in great health and obviously enjoying their time in the trees. It is wonderful to know how much Chiam's son will now be learning about his natural environment, and we can only imagine how fast he will pick up natural survival skills such as nest building and foraging with Chiam as his teacher.

We hope that this will be the first of many occasions that Chiam returns to our feeding platforms for food.

Orangutan Congregation

2009-08-14T20:35:00.005+08:00

After the first few weeks when Chiam relished the novelty of the jungle and kept to herself, she has since been coming back to the feeding platform when called regularly. July volunteers were able to join the keepers, one at a time, on the twice daily excursions to the jungle to call and leave food for Chiam. About 70% of occasions saw Chiam returning for food, so the volunteers were lucky indeed.

During one afternoon, we witnessed a first for Matang for a number of years when four orangutan gathered at the feeding platform. Have a look at the photo below and see if you can spot who is who:

All the orangutan present were greatly enjoying the treetops, which made clear photography a challenging task. Check the picture below for more of a clue.

It was certainly a special sight to behold. Chiam was very interested in Ting San, who was initially wary of Chiam but soon gained confidence and would stay in the same vicinity as her, equally curious. Chiam was also allowing her baby to explore the trees on his own, and it was quite incredible to see him practicing the art of climbing in the trees, as previously we had just seen him do this in a cage. Though it was wonderful to be able to observe Chiam's baby close up in captivity, it simply does not compare to watching him practice his natural behaviour in his natural environment. Ali seemed oblivious to the larger apes; he was immensely pleased with the small tree he had found, and spent most of the afternoon swinging it backwards and forwards.

From this day on, keepers have intentionally been bringing both Ali and Ting San to Chiam's location, when she is present. The two youngsters will learn much more from her, a fully competent semi-wild orangutan, than they will their human keepers. It makes our job of rehabilitation a lot easier - we now have an incredibly qualified teacher who, if willing, can continue jungle training with our juveniles.

Chiam and Baby Released

2009-08-07T23:18:00.004+08:00

Chiam has long been a favourite of volunteers and keepers alike at Matang. She is a highly intelligent orangutan, and has fascinated many on onlooker with her swift and accurate construction of tools out of mere scraps of rope and left over food items. Chiam's presence at the centre was bitter sweet - it was a joy to observe her and a privilege to get to know her, but she has long been ready for life in the jungle.

Part of the centre's captive breeding program; Chiam gave birth to George's son in February 09. Her infant developed quickly, and Chiam's stress-free approach to motherhood quickly fostered an ambitious and independent son. At just two months of age he was already exploring his cage in absense of his mother and flexing his young climbing muscles on the bars.

In May 09, the decision was made to release Chiam. Her infant had developed extremely well and it was more than clear that Chiam is a competent mother. At the begining of June, Chiam was released into Kubah.

Though it had been hoped to release Chiam, George and Ghanti together, it made good sense to release Chiam earlier. With Mamu being in the rainforest, it is a good step to have a competent adult join her in the environment, so should Mamu have any difficulty in food location or nest building, Chiam can watch over her and offer assistance. Though Ghanti herself would not struggle in the jungle, she is being kept at Matang for the near future so that staff here may keep a closer eye on her infant and ensure its healthy development. He is currently developing well, but Ghanti does not have the carefree confidence in motherhood that Chiam displayed, not surprising since for Chiam, she had done it all before.

As a dominant male, George would not be safe to be released too close to the centre. Therefore, we will still build a release site for him futher into Kubah, which is the task of July 09 volunteers. Over the next few months, keepers will slowly move Chiam through the jungle to this new site, so when it is time to release George and Ghanti, Chiam will be centred on this area also. This will then become the primary feeding area for the 3 adult orangutan, plus the two babies.

Our immense gratitude goes out to all volunteers, past, present and future. For many of those past, you worked tirelessly at the centre and dedicated your money to it for the future when the orangutan you got to know so well would be in a position to be released. Many of you never saw an orangutan in the jungle at Matang, and indeed it has taken many years for us to begin to realise the release plans. Whether you were building a feeding platform for the orangutan, or building a deer enclosure at the centre, it is all of these efforts combined that have brought Matang up to a standard where release of orangutan is not just feasible, but is now happening. We cannot thank you enough and hope that when we collect the first few photos of Chiam in the jungle with her baby you will all consider it your success as well

Mamu enjoys jungle life!

2009-07-13T23:34:00.006+08:00

Mamu, the daughter of Chiam and Aman, was born at the centre in 2004. She spent her first couple of years in the trees with her mum, but it became clear that Chiam was struggling to provide for both herself and her infant while roaming the forest, so mother and child were brought back to the centre, separated, and provided with lots of nutrition. Since that point, Chiam has given birth to a second baby and Mamu has been continuing jungle training under the careful supervision of our orangutan rehabilitation officers, Hilary Kidding and Eddie Indriss.

She began with day trips into the jungle, where she was quickly mixed with Ting San, another orangutan of similar age who was far less competent in the trees. Mamu proved good inspiration for Ting San, who has come on leaps and bounds in her jungle training. These two orangutan often spent nights out in the jungle too, though Ting San was far less keen on this experience than Mamu. Occasionally, where simple day trips were planned, Mamu would decide to remain out in the jungle over night, meaning her keepers regularly spent unscheduled nights in the forest close to her.

Since November 08, Mamu and Ting San have been spending one week a month at the Piers Mott ranger station, built by volunteers in Kubah National Park, about a 2km trek from the centre. Keepers have been able to stay in (relative) comfort in this building, while the orangutan explore the surrounding jungle both day and night, being fed at the neighboring feeding platform built by volunteers in October 08.

This year, Mamu has been showing increasing reluctance to return to the centre at the end of her periods of training. Mamu has certainly been ready for release for a number of months - she was being held back to fulfill a role of teacher for both Ting San and Doris, who is widely lacking in knowledge of jungle survival. However, Mamu obviously tired of this role, and after one week at the ranger station in April, decided that she would be happier to remain in the jungle. This site had been prepared for exactly this purpose, so it seemed as good a time as any to leave her out.

Both keepers and volunteers have been making daily excursions to the feeding platform by the ranger station to ensure Mamu will always be able to feed, should she not be able to find enough food in the trees. She is certainly missed at the centre, by none more than Doris who had formed a very close relationship with her. However for us, though it is strange not to see her on a daily basis, the knowledge that she is brachiating through the rainforest by day, foraging for natural foods and nesting in the treetops at dusk, more than compensates for her absence. Indeed, it is exactly what we have been working so hard to achieve, and the release of one makes us all the more determined to give her some company in Kubah.

Aman's new ropes

2009-06-23T20:13:00.003+08:00

For those who have not met him yet, Aman is our large dominant male at Matang Wildlife Centre

In March 09, two of our volunteers presented us with the kind gift of a 200m roll of 2inch rope. This thick, industrial strength rope is perfect for orang-utan, and with it we were able to rope Aman’s outdoor enclosure. The smaller ropes that used to hang there have slowly been dismantled by Aman over the months, which has been great enrichment for him as orang-utans do love to destroy things, but has meant his enclosure has been devoid of rope for a while.

After roping his enclosure, Aman systematically worked his way around the area, testing each length of the new rope, and this initial investigation was caught on film and is available for viewing on our website. It obviously had no trouble supporting his weight, and on first test run it appears to have no obvious weak points. Orangutans will commonly check new structures, or new additions to structures, for any weaknesses or points that can be dismantled. The rope survived its first afternoon with Aman – let’s hope it withstands his might for many more months!

With kind thanks to Eric McCallum and Robin Smith for the gift of the rope.

Update on Chiam & Gante

2009-05-26T17:29:00.003+08:00

Chiam and Ghanti
Born on Feb 3rd 09, Chiam and Ghanti’s boys are now 3 and a half months old. It is truly fascinating to watch the differences in the approach to motherhood between the two apes. Ghanti is a first time mother, and is evidently cautious, wary and highly attentive to her baby. Whenever he makes the faintest of squeaks, she gives him her full attention, checks over every angle of him, runs her lips over his body as comfort as well as investigation, and keeps the baby close to her. She remains more reserved, and though has been revisiting the outside world, will mostly remain on high in nest or hammock, away from the distractions of staff and tourists and devoting attention to her baby.

Chiam is a different story. She is a second time mother, and perfectly aware that parenting is nothing to stress over. When watching her behaviour, you would not know she had a baby clinging to her unless you caught sight of him. When Chiam’s baby squeaks or begins to cry, she moves it further out of ear shot, generally onto her back. As a result, Chiam’s baby is showing more independence than Ghanti’s. Our May volunteers saw Chiam’s boy climbing to the top of the night dens, solo – with Chiam forming a carefully placed safety net below his every move. She is certainly also a devoted mother, as all female orang-utan are, and volunteers also saw her create something of a mobile with branches and leaves in her enclosure and hang it above her baby’s head, moving it to and fro with her baby thoroughly entertained below.

Separated for the first couple of months to allow the females to settle stress-free into motherhood, Chiam and Ghanti have recently been reintroduced to each other. They have shown great interest in each other’s babies, and there has definitely been a sense of showing off each son to the other mum. They each seem extremely pleased and proud, with both themselves and each other. Recently, Chiam was seen encouraging her baby to climb - she was placing his hands on a rope above her head and supporting his weight, lifting him up and assisting his holds. A few minutes later, Ghanti, who had obviously been watching this lesson closely, followed suit. She took up Chiam’s position and was placing her baby’s hands on the rope. Her baby was much more reluctant to explore the area away from his mother’s body, but this example of learning and imitation through observation was truly fascinating.

Nora's baby

2009-05-26T17:10:00.002+08:00

In August last year, a macaque was born at Matang and has been a firm favourite with volunteers since. Since March 09, this little male has become strong enough to demolish chicken wire, yet still remains small enough to fit through the stronger steel bars of his cage. He has enjoyed great enrichment exploring the neighbouring cages, and stealing any items that are light enough for him to pick up. Here are some photos of him mid-exploration for your viewing pleasure.

Slow Loris Release

2009-05-17T17:33:00.003+08:00

After being found on the road side, a slow loris was surrendered to Matang in May 09. These incredibly cute small mammals are primates, with opposable thumbs utilised for clinging tightly onto branches. As their name suggests, they are slow and steady locomotors. They dwell in the tree tops, and like the orangutan employ a three-to-one climbing technique - three limbs cling to branches at all times while one will locate the next step to be made. This makes for extremely safe and secure locomotion through the 40m+ canopy of Borneo.

These pictures show the animal emerging from its carry case - it lived up to its name and appeared in no rush to return to the trees. It then ambled through the undergrowth before vanishing from sight into Kubah National Park.

Pangolins Released

2009-05-17T17:20:00.004+08:00

Over the months of April and May, Matang took in two pangolins from surrounding communities, residents of which had found them around their homes and recognised that these animals would be better suited to the rainforest rather than human habitations and surrendered them to Matang. Pangolins are scaly anteaters - the scales of these animals are formed with keratin, the same substance that makes up our hair and fingernails. When threatened, pangolins curl up into a ball, and the edges of the scales are razor-like, providing extra protection. Pangolins are nocturnal, and well adapted to their diet of insects with a keen sense of smell and strong claws on their feet to allow them to break into rotten wood and termite mounds. They are also excellent climbers, looking far more at ease in the trees than on the ground where their long claws make walking slightly cumbersome. The two pangolins that found their way to Matang have now taken up residence in Kubah National Park.

Click here for a short video of one of the pangolins bidding a hasty retreat upwards

Porcupine Birth

2009-05-17T17:05:00.004+08:00

On 3rd May 2009 keepers at Matang discovered two new born porcupine at the enclosure. In April 2008, we welcomed a new porcupine into the existing population and he's clearly been doing a good job, with one infant born last year and now two more! There are two adult females currently at Matang and each of them gave birth to one young - it seems the porcupine followed the example of Chiam and Ghanti and sychronised their births!

Porcupine are born without their quills (luckily for their mums), but they soon develop these robust spines as a defense against potential predators. These photos were taken on the day they were born inside the nights dens of the enclosure, so you can see the quills are yet to form.

2009-03-25T16:51:00.002+08:00

Those who have been volunteers at Matang in the past will, of course, know the sun bears well. Four of the bears, Bernie, Corrine, Situ and Jo, used to live in the quarantine area and were moved into a large, outdoor area in January 08. Videos of the sun bears’ first steps into their new space can be viewed on our website. Since these bears moved, we have employed our volunteers to carry out behavioural monitoring of all the sun bears here. Matang is attempting to rehabilitate its sun bears, which involves training them out of unnatural behaviours, such as stereotypy, and trying to illicit and increase natural behaviours, such as climbing, breaking into logs and rotting wood, and foraging. We have been making changes to their enrichment, husbandry routine and feeding schedule, all the while monitoring their behaviour, to see if we are succeeding in changing and improving their behaviour. Our record climber thus far is Situ, who climbs now to 13.5m on a daily basis. We are slowly increasing the height at which food is hung to tempt the bears ever higher.

In the eight months that we have been able to monitor the bears, we have seen great improvements in their behaviour. All are comfortable climbers, with Situ excelling, all enjoy a meal of insects, an idea that visually repelled some of them when first introduced, and overall, the frequency of foraging has increased and stereotypy has decreased. Our bears also frequently display mating behaviour, culminating in successful pregnancy. We still have a long way to go, but are greatly encouraged by our initial data. It appears possible to teach sun bears natural behaviour, or more simply present the means to allow them to express what does, indeed, come naturally. It is also possible to decrease stereotypic frequency – our next challenge is to see if we can eliminate it. Our volunteers will continue to help us in this challenging mission.
The prize for Most Improved Bear is, at this stage, definitely awarded to Jo. When first moved to the outdoor enclosure, Jo refused to leave the night den area and face the open air for a number of weeks. She then progressed to venturing out for a day, but then seeking the comfort of the night den for the following two or three. She was very meek, lacked confidence and would steer well clear of the other three bears. Now, Jo is as keen to enter the outdoor enclosure as any other bear. She climbs with ease, forages for most of the day and shows great enthusiasm for tearing apart any wood in her presence – even iron wood platforms do not withstand her efforts. She has also forged a great relationship with Bernie. It is quite common to see these two bears play fighting and rolling around with each other, often continually throughout the day. This does not seem to be tied to mating specifically, as copulation attempts are rarely seen during their interaction. Sun bears are solitary animals in the wild, but here we can see that in the right conditions, individuals can gain great enjoyment from each other’s company. It really is a joy to watch them together, particularly in relation to Jo’s demeanour one year ago.

You can see a short video of Jo and Bernie in their night den on our website homepage clicking on the video link www.orangutanproject.com

Baby Bear

2009-03-21T00:00:00.001+08:00

For our past Matang volunteers we thought you would appreciate this lovely shot of 'Baby Bear'. Not such a baby any more, she's developing extremely quickly and though cute, is sporting large, white teeth and strong claws. We caught her napping one lunch time, and on waking she struck this wonderful pose for us. Enjoy!

Nora & Baby

2009-03-20T22:54:00.002+08:00

For the many volunteers who have asked, here is a photo of Nora's baby, taken at the end of January. You may be surprised at how little he has changed - indeed he has not grown as quickly as we expected. In character though, he has changed a lot and is now full of confidence and forever exploring and bouncing around his enclosure. He continues to win the affections of all volunteers he meets.

Ghanti and her newborn

2009-03-06T21:23:00.003+08:00

This week, Ghanti has been out and about in her larger enclosure, finally leaving the comfort of her sack. It's meant we've been able to get some wonderful photos of her and her newborn. Ghanti is looking extremely comfortable as a first time mum, and watching her attentiveness to her infant is truly fascinating and highly touching.

We have also uploaded a video of Ghanti breast feeding her newborn so don't forget to watch this too - just look for the video section on our homepage http://www.orangutanproject.com/

Mothers and Babies

2009-02-26T22:04:00.003+08:00

We are pleased to bring you another image of Chiam's young boy. Mother and baby are doing extremely well - Chiam behaves completely naturally, almost as if there is no newborn clinging to her side.

The picture of the sack you see is in fact Ghanti and her newborn - Ghanti chose to remain in her sack for the majority of her first week as a new mum, which is why we have been slow in introducing her baby boy to the world.

Though we have now managed to photograph her up and about and feeding her newborn. Ghanti has been particularly lethargic following the birth, typical of any first time mum. Her and the baby are in really good health and her energy levels now seem to be on the increase.

We will of course add more photo's as soon as they are available

Interview with the Great Orangutan Project manager, Leo Biddle, about the 2 new orangutan babies

2009-02-10T19:10:00.004+08:00

We interviewed Leo Biddle, the Borneo manager at WOX’s Great Orangutan Project in Sarawak and how the new orangutan moms and tots are getting on.

So Leo you must be very proud, are the babies healthy?

48 hours from birth there are no complications so far. It is everything we hoped for. Babies are not separate from their moms and remain clung on to their mothers 24/7 as you would expect, but babies support their own weight. They don’t cry, they do make some noises. Also did you know that both baby orangutan came out blonde. They will go deeper orange as they get older, but for now we have blonde baby orangutans!

How are the orangutan mothers coping with motherhood?

Gante (one of the mother orangutans) and baby nearly the entire time have been in guni sacks. She carries the sacks around with her constantly, possibly using them to keep warm. Gante is not as social as Chiam (the other lucky mom) so stays hidden in sacks. They are both well and healthy. They are not eating much but we did expect this. We have been given them a wide selection of foods to choose from - an open buffet for our precious moms. (Chiam is also mother to Mamu who is also at our centre and going to school for jungle training).

What is the reaction if any from other orangutans?

Doris (our teenage orangutan) sees the team and keepers going in and out of the maternity enclosures and gets very jealous almost saying “hey there I want some attention!” (very typical of Doris).

Orangutans from the start were very aware that babies were coming. You could tell by their body language. On the day of birth they could smell the afterbirth. Because we require more space for the moms we have moved the orangutans around. We do what we can in limited space. So other orangutans are getting a bit frustrated.

George, the father of the two baby boys, is highly protective. Other than me and members of the WOX team, when people he doesn’t know pass by, he starts barking and getting angry. “Back off my babies boys!”. I myself growl at people wanting to see babies also…my own paternal instincts kicking in.

How do you create a post-natal environment for the benefit of the orangutan moms and orangutan babies?

We increased warmth to the enclosures with more guni sacks, increase leaves, blankets so the orangutan moms can build nests. The idea is by keeping moms warm we keep orangutan babies warm. We keep quiet. We have increased food supply and a good selection of foods for our moms. They seem to take to the leafy greens so we have more of that. Gante and Chiam have a choice of night dens and enclosures and can move freely between them. We do what we can to keep them happy. And we constantly monitor them. The moms seem very responsible.

You personally have spent so much time with your “orangutan ladies”, how do you feel?

I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m really paranoid. Infant mortality rates are high in any centre. It’s a great concern in the world of orangutan conservation. New borns are weak and susceptible to diseases. So we are going all out to make this work. You have my all.

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Thanks to Leo, Tasha, Alvin, Mazrul, Hilary and the rest of the WOX team and SFC team working round the clock to keep our new moms and babies happy and healthy. It’s challenging times in Borneo but a great privilege to be part of the miracle of a synchronised birth of two baby orangutans on the same day at the same centre.

So there you have it orangutan people, so now get off the blog and get on a plane to Borneo. Be part of the experience and join us on the Sarawak Orangutan Volunteer Programme during the next months or take advantage of our Orangutan Baby Special – 2 week volunteer programmes for May and June 2008.

It’s our way of connecting you with baby orangutans. This moment is extremely rare. To be in the same vicinity of baby orangutans is magic. Packed with emotions, these next few months will require people with passion and belief that orangutans will make it through. We have increased the orangutan population by a tiny fraction, but it’s on the way up and you, the volunteer community help us make this happen.

On the Orangutan Baby Special – you will volunteer at Matang Wildlife Centre in Sarawak Malaysia Borneo and you will also be working on improving the lives of resident animals such as sunbears, crocodiles, etc and witness the challenges our conservation team face keeping new born baby orangutans healthy.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO TOUCHING OR CARRYING OF ANY ORANGUTANS. PLEASE RESPECT THE MOTHERS FEELINGS AND THE ALPHA MALE FATHER, GEORGE WHO, LIKE ANY PROUD DAD, WILL BE VERY IRRATE IF YOU TOUCH HIS BABY BOYS. WE ASK FOR PASSION WITH RESPONSIBILITY. THANK YOU.

Double Birth at Matang Wildlife Centre

2009-02-04T16:57:00.003+08:00

We are ecstatic to report that today, both Chiam and Ghanti, adult orangutan females, gave birth to baby boys. Chiam's baby was noticed first as volunteers were about to start cleaning her night den in the morning, and Ghanti gave birth that lunch time. Both mothers and babies are doing really well and appear to have taken naturally to motherhood, which we expected of Chiam, a second-time mother, and is great to see from Ghanti, who has given birth for the first time.

It is quite incredible that both females gave birth on the same day - at least is will be easy to remember their birthday!

Matang Wildlife Centre continues to improve

2008-12-03T23:25:00.005+08:00

This month, the quarantine area went through a full revamp as each quarantine cage was redone. We had some disgruntled monkeys whilst the ironwork was welded and the shut-offs remade. This is yet another step forward for Matang Wildlife Centre in its quest to become a centre of excellence for Sarawak Forestry. New arrivals now have better facilities and can expect better care.

A very special orangutan rehabilitation moment - Doris the teenager

2008-11-10T22:39:00.007+08:00

In the orangutan conservation world, it is generally a rule of thumb that only baby orangutans should be rehabilitated back into the wild. Teenage orangutans are considered to old and unmanageable for the rehabilitation process. We have experts in the past that have failed to achieve anything with our very own teenager, Doris. Doris was so humanised after years of captivity that rehabilitation was considered impossible by many. One expert even diagnosed her with vertigo!

However, on Wednesday 22nd of October, a date etched into orangutan conservation history, the Great Orangutan Project's very own Leo Biddle, along with Sarawak Forestry's courageous keepers, Hillary and Eddie, managed to spend a night in the forest at the 'Piers Mott' Ranger Station with teenage orangutan, Doris. Here's the update from Leo himself:

"On Wednesday 22nd we managed to convince Doris to spend her first night ever in the jungle, at the newly completed Piers Mott Ranger Station previous volunteers have worked so hard to build.

Doris out in the jungle

For much of the last year Doris has been going out on excursions into the forest under supervision, but until Wednesday has always been brought back to the orangutan dens at night.

Unlike Ting San and Mamu, who have spent many nights out already, we have been waiting for Doris’ confidence in the forest to increase before making her take this important next step towards eventual release.

At points in her training prior we have kept her in the jungle until the light begins to fade before bringing her back in. On these occasions she has generally made it emphatically clear that she does not wish to remain in the jungle at night and Doris’ size and considerable strength are very effective at making points emphatically!
A part of this is due to fear of the unfamiliar; the jungle at night is very different to during the day with different noises and insects – indeed when we have taken previous volunteers on night walks or to camp out there, several of them have found it to be a frightening or challenging experience…

Another factor of course is a break from the routine. Captive orangutan, just like other animals including humans, can quickly become habituated to a daily regime prevalent to their confinement and despite our continuing efforts on enrichment for the last 9 years – Doris has slept at night in a cage.

When she was first taken into the jungle back in December 2007 it was a wholly new experience for her and one that took her time to adjust to; until now it would be fair to say that she enjoys her days spent in jungle training. In time we hope to persuade her that sleeping in the jungle at night can be equally enriching and rapidly become routine.

Doris seemed to be suspicious when we hoisted her over her enclosure wall much later than normal; but presented with the prospect of accompanying three of her favourite keepers into the jungle she was content to follow.

On arrival at the new station, Doris acted as though it had always been there; promptly going up to the door and even knocking!

Knock knock, who's there? Doris at the Piers Mott Ranger Station

Shortly after arriving at the station the light rapidly began to fade; aside from a few gentle shoves to remind us we really ought to be heading back and slightly more wistful stares back in the direction we had came from Doris was surprisingly relaxed at the impending night out of doors.

We later all agreed that she probably knew what we were taking her out for around the time we lowered a rope over her wall back at the centre.

Wistful stares

We’d half expected that Doris would forcibly demand to spend the night in the ranger station with us when it got dark; but wanted to avoid setting a precedent. So we were pleased that after a half-hearted attempt to break in she promptly climbed onto the roof and went to sleep.

The whole night passed uneventfully and we were woken at first light by Doris knocking on the door again.

The morning after

Doris was in exceptionally high spirits and showed no signs of distress or fatigue from her night out, in fact it was our intention to take her straight back to the centre as soon as we woke, however Doris seemed intent on staying in the jungle even taking to the trees of her own volition.

So after feeding her on her new platform that the Orangutan Release group in September built we spent most of the morning letting her climb before bringing her back in.

Doris gets used to the new feeding platform

On the 10th of November we plan to bring her back out to the ranger station with the centre's baby orangutan, Ting San and Mamu, and keep the three of them there for a one week trial before eventually releasing them all there under 24 hour supervision.

We can confirm that Doris does not have vertigo

We’ll be sure to keep you posted with how it all goes."

Click here for The Great Orangutan Project website - Volunteer Projects for All

Great Orangutan Project looks to Indonesia

2008-11-08T18:58:00.005+08:00

For the last few years, The Great Orangutan Project has focused its activities in Borneo, but on the Malaysian side on the island. The reason has been simple, the environmental laws are enforced relatively well which means that protected orangutans have a far better chance of survival.

Just across the border, in Indonesia, the destruction has continued unabated meanwhile. The terms "corruption, collusion and nepotism" are famous in Indonesian society, and for a very good reason, because they are rife. I heard recently a statistic that 70% of protected national parks have been illegally logged, and it would seem that this is done with the collaboration of the army. A sad state of affairs and a deeply depressing one.

Against this backdrop, many conservation charities have been working hard to rescue orangutans that have been the victims of this habitat destruction, and black market for pets, in Indonesia. They have done a fantastic job but without backing from the local Government it has been a losing battle. Indonesia is a vast area of land divided into thousands of islands. It is not easy to manage such a country and so power is devolved, which means that each province has its own Government, like the United States of America that is divided into States. Each province has its own powers, the a lot of flexibility to ignore laws from the main Government in Jakarta. Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, is particular rife with corruption which has made the task of conservation extremely difficult.

With all this in mind, The Great Orangutan Project has decided to get involved in a very difficult situation. By staying out of Indonesia we will not be able to make any change. Only together can we overcome the corrupt and illegal practices that turn most Indonesians' stomachs. We are now looking for volunteer projects in Indonesia and we hope to start something in 2009.

There is hope. Attention is focused on Indonesia. It is widely recognised that Indonesia is the world's 3rd worst polluter for greenhouse gases (after the USA and China) because of deforestation and forest fires. Many people are pressurising the Indonesia Government and Provincial authorities. The Indonesians voted for a president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004. He vowed to tackle corruption that has plagued Indonesia for years. So far he has had some notable successes and the head of the police has arrested hundreds of illegal loggers, including some big names. The destruction is not over yet, but there is hope and The Great Orangutan Project thinks this is a good time to make a move. Stayed tuned, there may soon be a way for you to volunteer and make a difference for the orangutans in the heart of the destruction.

Click here for The Great Orangutan Project website
Volunteer Projects for All