© Annie Musselman / Barcroft Media
Lounging around in the south east asian heat these adorable orangutans are sitting pretty in these tiny clothes baskets.
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Yet despite their smiles these baby orangutans are the innocent victims of poaching, illegal pet trade and the deforestation of their natural habitat.
For Gilly Lloyd of Borneo Orangutan Survival International (BOS), World Habitat Day (October 4) is the perfect opportunity to highlight their plight and the tireless work being done to rescue this endangered species.
© Annie Musselman / Barcroft Media
Launched in 1931 at a convention of ecologists to draw attention to the plight of endangered species, World Animal Day has since developed to encompass the animal kingdom in general.
Now celebrated in all corners of the globe, its is designed to celebrate animal life in all forms and mankind’s relations hip with the animal kingdom.
And this unique relationship is seen everyday between humans and orangutans in Borneo.
“World Animal Day is an opportunity for us to tell the world about the plight of the orangutan and what we’re doing to save one of humankind’s closest relatives from extinction,” says Gilly.
© Annie Musselman / Barcroft Media
“The orangutan could cease to exist in the wild within the next ten years if nothing is done to prevent this from happening, and – as a species vital for the propagation of the rainforests of Borneo – the orangutan occupies an important place in the ecosystem of its habitat.
“It is a key indicator of the health of the rainforest - on which its survival, and that of numerous other species, depends – and has an important role to play in the propagation of the rainforests.
Based in Indonesian Borneo, Nyaru Menteng is the largest primate rescue in the world.
Part of Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), the rescue and rehabilitation centre care for a total of 670 orangtuans, ranging from 2 months to eight years of age.
Gilly proudly reveals how the conservation group continue to make great strides in rescuing and reintroducing the animals into their natural habitat.
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“We are still rescuing orphans and the fact that we are still rescuing orangtuans either from private owners or from the forest that is under threat of clearance, is a demonstration that the problem remains,” explains Gilly.
“We will know things are improving when the destruction of the rainforest abates and we are releasing more orangutans than we are taking into the sanctuary.
“The most important event was the return to the wild of 46 adult and sub-adult orangutans who had been rescued by the Nyaru Menteng centre from starvation, injury, illness or captivity – due to the devastation of their rainforest habitat by illegal logging or the establishment of oil palm plantations.”
The ultimate goal of BOS is the release of healthy and rehabilitated orangutans back into protected forest.
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Under the watchful eye of Founder Manager, Lone Droscher-Nielsen, these orangutans undergo a gradual rehabilitation programme to equip them with the skills necessary for a life in the wild.
“When they get to about eight years of age we take them in groups of 25-30 to one of of a number of neighbouring islands,”explains Gilly.
“That is the first stage in releasing them back into the wild. The whole reason for our being there is to nurture them, rehabilitate them, send them back into the wild so they can procreate and keep the species going.
“They stay on the island for 18 months. after that they are able to fend for themselves and then we fly them to a protected area of rain forest in Borneo where they are monitored by scientists.”
© Annie Musselman / Barcroft Media
Borneo Orangutan Survival International is a registered international charity committed to the protection of the orangutan and its rain forest habitat.
The rehabilitation of each orangutan costs in the region of US$3000 per year, and BOS relies entirely on donations to fulfil its mission.
“We’re concentrating our energies on publicising the importance of our work in saving the orangutan from extinction, and using World Animal Day to send a wake-up call to the world on the urgent need to halt the devastation of the rainforests, on which the ultimate survival of humankind itself depends.”
Words by Jack Fletcher
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