Orangutans: People of the Forest

Just finished up a 2 week volunteering stint at Samboja Lestari, an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo, Indonesia operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS).  Definitely one of the most fascinating and gratifying segments of our trip, and a great way to finish up our travels!

In Indonesian, the word "orangutan" means "person of the forest", and they are remarkably human-like in many respects - not surprising given that they share 97% of our DNA.  They are one of the 5 Great Apes, alongside chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and........humans.  Recent studies have concluded that they are the most intelligent of all the Great Apes (aside from humans - and given what's going on in the world today, one could make a reasonable argument that humans aren't in fact all that smart...).

Found only in tropical rainforests on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, orangutans are classified as "critically endangered", just one step away from extinction.  Logging, mining and the clearing of land for palm oil plantations (Indonesia's biggest export) is rapidly destroying the rainforest.  As a result, orangutans may wander into human areas in search of food.  The adults are often killed, with the babies sold to circuses or into the illegal pet trade.  Also contributing to their dwindling numbers is the fact that orangutans have the lowest reproductive rate of any mammal on earth - a mother orangutan will rear her baby for 6-8 years before getting pregnant again, so she typically doesn't have more than 3 babies in her lifetime.  

Samboja Lestari is a large operation (4,500 acres).  They have a "Baby House" for the youngest orangutans, where babysitters are with them around the clock.  They have a "Forest School" for older orangutans to learn critical skills - climbing, foraging for food, and nest-building - needed for them to be released into the wild (sadly, if an orangutan is rescued after the age of 5, and has not already mastered these skills, it is rare for them to acquire sufficient skill to be releasable).  They have islands that are surrounded by moats (orangutans can't swim) both for orangutans being prepared to be released, as well as for those that for a variety of reasons are deemed unreleasable (each island can only accommodate 1 male, and 1-3 females).  And they have enclosures for animals that need medical attention (orangutans are quite susceptible to respiratory diseases, and a number of the animals are treated with a nebulizer daily), or for whom there is not yet space available on an island.

Because of the close relationship between humans and orangutans, they are susceptible to most human diseases.  Prior to our arrival, we had to provide proof that we were negative for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis C, HIV, TB and Covid, so that we would not risk infecting any of the orangutans.

And now on to some pictures!  Orangutans are absolutely magnificent animals - the large cheekpads denote a dominant male

Remarkably strong (a full grown male is as strong as 7 men) and agile climbers

Often playful

And have the most incredibly expressive eyes

Samboja Lestari is also a sanctuary for sun bears, which are found throughout Southern Asia, with the largest population in Borneo where they co-exist with orangutans.  Unfortunately, once rescued they cannot be returned to the wild, as they would be killed by other sun bears protecting their territory. They are the world's smallest bear, but with the longest claws

And the longest tongues!

While we spent almost all of our time in Borneo at Samboja Lestari, we did have a couple of interesting outings where we got to taste the local food (first time eating boxfish for me!)

And see some of the other local wildlife, such as the aptly-named proboscis monkey, found only in Borneo (Jimmy Durante had nothing on this guy!)

And of course, as is always the case when we do these wildlife volunteering gigs, there was plenty of hard work mixed in with the fun.  From making a daily variety of "food enrichment" for the orangutans (usually involving hiding small fruits and nuts in various contraptions) to help them from becoming bored

Making treks into the forest with our machetes to cut down truckloads of galangal leaves for the orangutans to use as nesting material

And a variety of construction projects (here building a concrete platform for orangutans on one of the islands)

Luckily, we stayed healthy throughout our time in Borneo, though I did have to make one visit to a medical clinic to deal with a pretty nasty infected cut.  It was notable only because of the cost of the visit:  $3.25 (not a typo)!  I think we might have some issues with the price of medical care in the U.S......

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Well, that’s a wrap! 

We're spending this weekend in Jakarta getting cleaned up and ready for our flights home on Monday.  Over the last 5 months we have taken more than 30 flights and stayed in more than 50 locations. I’m not gonna lie - it’s gonna be weird coming home and sleeping in our own bed! 

We can’t wait to see everyone and hear about what you’ve been up to - if you’ve been reading this Travelogue, you’ve heard more than enough about what we’ve been up to! Please reach out and let’s plan to get together this fall.  We'll generally be around for the next 3 months - the longest stretch we will have been home in more than a year - except of course on Patriots' home game days, when you're welcome to join us at the always epic Ezickson tailgate in Foxboro!

And no need to worry yet that we're slowing down in our old age, as it won't be long before....