Several orangutans were successfully released from Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre into Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR) at the end of last year. This release was quite challenging as the team brought orangutans to two separate release locations, one in the Bemban basin and the other in the Hiran basin.
Cinta, Liti, Ojes, and Wanto were taken first to their release points in Bemban. Immediately following their successful release, our team had to return to the centre to take Fajar, Tomang, Lala, and Fathia to their release points, but this time in Hiran. Of the group, Fajar and Tomang have completely captivated our post-release monitoring team, who live year-round at the release site.
When in the rehabilitation centre, Tomang always finished each and every piece of food he was given. Even after his release, Tomang’s immense appetite has persisted. When the forest’s bounty was inadequate for him, Tomang once attempted to return to a cage on a boat to search for leftover food. However, this moment quickly passed as he returned to join the other free orangutans enjoying their new environment.
Meanwhile, Fajar, a female orangutan, was very active as the technicians observed her after her release. She was always focused on exploring her new surroundings, with some breaks to snack on wild figs and interact with other orangutans. Surprisingly, homebody Tomang and adventurer Fajar appeared to form a close relationship, a very close one indeed. The team stumbled upon the pair engaging in a lengthy bout of copulation, which we hope will result in a new arrival in TNBBBR!
Text by: Communication Team, BOS Foundation Headquarter, Bogor, West Java
Will you help us rescue, rehabilitate and release orangutans back to freedom? Thank you!
