Wow… First off I must apologise for doing the complete
opposite of what this blog is meant for – keeping you all updated! My time in
the jungle was so unbelievable and took over my life for 2 months. It was
really amazing!! I’ve done a lot in the last 2-3 months since I last blogged so
I’ll dedicate this one to updating you all on my jungle experiences..
In my second and third rotations I did ‘Indoor’ and ‘Outdoor’
as they are known. In Indoor we had to look after the smaller orangutans. First
thing in the morning we would put on our gloves and masks, start cleaning their
living quarters and prepare any food or milk necessary for that day. The
orangutans at this stage of their lives are a lot like baby-toddlers (depending
on how old they are). Their behaviour ranges from wanting to be super clingy,
to being very cheeky and running away from us, to being completely uninterested
and wanting to explore the nursery. The nursery ropes are built purposefully to
introduce the babies to climbing. They aren’t too high so they don’t get scared
and if they so happen to fall won’t hurt themselves. They extend partway into
the forest meaning they get their first taste of their new home. Our job was to
encourage them to climb as much as possible, as well as providing them with foliage
to help them practice nest building. An orangutan will build a new nest every
night in the wild, making it an essential skill for their survival. These are
behaviours that in the wild they would learn from their mother. Some days were
more challenging than others with the little ones. Sometimes they would decide
to be cheeky and jump off the ropes, we would have to race after them into the
undergrowth to put them back up. They don’t realise that the soil is full of
microbes that can make them very ill, so keeping them off the ground is
essential for keeping them healthy and teaching them good practice for staying
away from predators. Some days they simply decided they didn’t want to climb
and wouldn’t hold onto the ropes – you can imagine how difficult it is to get a
baby orangutan to climb who doesn’t want to. But other days, they climbed like heroes
and we witnessed them progress and find their confidence. It was so moving to
watch them grow and learn in such a short space of time. I didn’t realise we
would be able to see results so quickly. Each of them was unique: Beryl was a
master nest builder, Bidu Bidu was a real bully, Peanut loved playing with
sticks, Sepilok loved pretending to be a baby to get attention, Goman was an
ace climber and cared very little for us. Of the babies, Coco was really
independent, Ospi was a clinger and Archie would climb the same few ropes over
and over. Of them all, I was really proud of Sepilok who went from being super
clingy and a bit useless at climbing, to finding his independence and venturing
further into the forest.
In outdoor we looked after the older guys, from ~5yrs +.
Here we had to be much more hands off. They are learning to be totally
independent orangutans and associating with humans too much can impair their
learning. This is also the age in which their mother would push them away. The
morning routine is pretty similar to indoor, mask + gloves, clean their living
quarters and prepare their food for the day. We also have to rake the viewing
area for the tourists, as they opened up outdoor to viewers a few years ago. It
made me laugh that I had to rake the 4 or 5 leaves that fell overnight. When I
asked Beddy (ranger) why, he said because otherwise the tourists complain that
it looks dirty. I can promise you it did not, but it really made me think about
what the tourists expected from the centre. How can you come to a
rehabilitation centre IN THE JUNGLE and complain about leaf litter.. Strange..
But maybe that’s just me. I’ll keep that in mind from now on when I’m being a ‘demanding
tourist’. So we would spend the day watching the orangutans, making sure they
were climbing properly and watching out for any wild orangutans. The centre
classifies the orangutans as either ‘in the program’, ‘semi-wild’ or ‘wild’.
The semi-wilds are ones that have left the program but still hang around the
centre occasionally. The wild ones are born and live within the Sepilok
rainforest. We have to let the wilds and in program orangutans interact
naturally. They have to figure out for themselves who is dominate &
subordinate. We are simply there to make sure the in program orangutans don’t
get hurt. It was really interesting to see them interacting with one another.
Everyone definitely has their own personality; some bullies, some shy, some
totally independent, others loners. They really are just like us! We had 6
orangutans for most of our time: Kalabatu, Boogie Boy, Chikita, Gelison, Wulan
and Cinta. Itinban joined us in the last 2 weeks of the program. He was really
beautiful! He was much paler than the others, had lots of wrinkles and a big
droopy mouth. We could not believe how strong he was though!! Luckily he was
extremely gentle with us but his strength will definitely bode well for him the
wild. He found his feet, made friends and I hope he is still doing well.
My time working with the orangutans was completely
unbelievable. Every day I would wake up with a smile on my face knowing that I
would be working with volunteers, rangers and orangutans who were all amazing.
We were surrounded by the forest and got to explore the place that these primates
call home. We had daily visits from wild orangutans who would try to steal the
milk or food we prepared for the others. We got chased, bitten and slapped by
them, but it was all part of the job. Working in the jungle, surrounded by wild
animals comes with its own risks. We worked in 35°C+ and 80%+ humidity in
masks, gloves, wellingtons and long trousers, but it all added to the
experience. I feel like I definitely learnt so much about how I believe animals
should be looked after. Sepilok set a high standard for animal care. These
orangutans have been given a shot at life. They all arrived with their own
tragic stories – most from plantations but some from being kept as pets – and are
looked after daily by intelligent people who genuinely care about their success
in the forest. I’m so glad I got to be a part of their lives and help them on
their path to becoming wild orangutans, as they should be. I have so many
little memories that I will hold on to for the rest of my life. Now it’s time
to say goodbye and move on to my next adventure.
S
x
* I would recommend to anyone to go and visit the centre. If
you do, please contact me! I would love to hear about your experience and can
answer any questions you may have.
* All photo credit goes to Brooke (one of the volunteers) who is an amazing photographer!
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| Boogie Boy Swinging |
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| Boogie Boy is very independent and loves climbing |
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| Cinta is the oldest female in the program at 11 |
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| Cinta can be identified by her long fingers and toes |
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| Gelison is very playful and has no problem approaching wild orangutans | | | | | | | | |
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| Gelison always stands and holds a rope when eating |
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| Wulan posing for the camera |
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| Kalabatu was my favourite |
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| Kalabatu has dark fur and beautiful big brown eyes |
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| Itinban is much paler than the others |
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| Itinban had an accident as a baby and lost all his teeth. He now has new ones but they don't fill his mouth enough, leaving lots of saggy skin. |
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| Matimis is very intelligent and she enjoyed stealing bananas from the kitchen |
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| Poogle is the wild dominant male |
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| Poogle is very gentle and a great teacher to the 'in program' orangutans |
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| Ringo is a wild male. He is extremely timid. |
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| Salamat is gay and lost his partner not long ago to a chest infection. Due to the trauma he lost all his hair. It is now in the process of growing back and he is doing well |
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| Salamat is always first to the sweet potatoes |
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| Ceria is a semi-wild male. He is a big bully and has been known to attack people
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| Ganag is a wild female |
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| Kacy is the dominant female. She is always eating! |
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| Clenan gave birth to Awantang 2 years ago and often comes to feed at the centre |
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| Awantang is adventurous and sometimes plays with Gelison |
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