I spotted my first orangutan high in the trees in the early morning. I heard him before I saw him. I woke up to cracking branches and some pretty furious tree shaking going on. Fortunately for me, I'm on a boat, at a safe distance from the huge, hairy, red orangutan who was working himself up into a right state.
I was on the Sekoyer River National Park Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan, and my trusty guide, Nanang assured me, "You are quite safe. Orangutans can not swim, so we simply can relax and enjoy this show. We are very lucky to see it. He is the king, that guy. large males fighting for dominance and territory and the territory they have a harem of females . this is how it works for them. "
I am in total admiration of this great primate of the jungle. He swayed in the very upper canopy that towered 30 meters into the sky. The words sounded Nanang true that we soon spotted three other orangutans; much smaller King females. They were wonderfully camouflaged and difficult to spot, wrapping their branch members as around trees and blending perfectly into their environment
Orangutans and proboscis monkeys in a treetop. | Photo by David Metcalf
Within minutes of watching orangutans, proboscis monkeys, a family joined in this show early.
There were seven of them and they were swinging with wild abandon through the trees, grabbing the vines and thin branches on their way. They disappeared quickly in the dense jungle, and I was left holding my morning coffee, which had gone cold, amazed by what I had just seen.
To discover the National Park Tanjung Puting, you need to take a boat. You fly in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, and from there you meet your guide and take a short car ride to meet your boatman. You need a minimum of three days. The park, which was created in 1982, remains a truly wild and natural place. Your final destination is Camp Leakey, a rehabilitation center for orangutans set up in 1971; the oldest Orangutan Conservation Centre of research and the world. The camp looks after stray orangutans that have been forced out of their natural habitat due to deforestation, forest burning and encroachment of agriculture, including the expansion of oil palm plantation.
Photo by David Metcalf
most camp orangutans are bottle-fed, and some arriving as orphans are in a very distressed state. Younger require physical handling and feel just like a human baby, and managers orangutan rock those little children, sometimes for hours. Finally, they are fed to the health and learned to fend for themselves in the wild and in search of food, but before that can happen, they must acquire the skills to survive in the jungle. In this transition stage, they have a little help, and three supply platforms are positioned in the jungle.
I was only ten minutes from my trek when I heard a crash through the trees and found myself sharing the forest trail with three orangutans. It was very exciting and a bit nerve-wracking at the same time. The park ranger who accompanied our group assured us that we were very safe. We came swinging through the trees and two others heavily behind us walking on all fours using their hands and fists. Picking up speed as they walked past painfully, they made a beeline for the platform, which was piled with bananas. Soon more orangutans gathered for a diet. They ate, tossed banana skins, scratching their armpits, looked around and socialized.
When we were back on the boat cruise up the river looking for a place to dock for the night, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of some gibbons, who ended the day very well. As the sun was setting, a beautiful solitary Hornbill gracefully crossed by a stream of air steamy jungle.
Discovering the Tanjung Puting National Park on a slow boat is a peaceful way to connect with nature, birds and wildlife. Having the ability to get close and personal with an orangutan, which shares 97 percent of our DNA, leaves you with a very humbling feeling that we are somehow close in many ways to these great primates.
In short
province Central Kalimantan
population 2.3 million (2014 )
size 153,564.5 km2 - about 1.5 times the size of Java
Getting there: regular flights from Jakarta and several cities to Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan
Where to stay: Houseboat or The Rimba Orangutan Ecolodge (now supplied over 0 percent solar), National Tanjung Park Puting
What to bring: repellent, sturdy shoes, long shirt and trousers for protection against mosquitoes at night, hat, umbrella and camera
tour guides :. www.orangutandays.com - contact Yomie www.visitorangutan.com - contact Nanang
other hiking spots in Kalimantan: Gunung National Park palung and Sebangau National park
Orangutan Facts
Orangutans are endemic to Sumatra and Borneo. These great apes are found to be very smart and follow a cultural model. Borneo species are larger and more lonely compared to their cousins Sumatra. They have round faces and adult males develop large cheek flanges as they age. In nature, they live about 45 years, but in captivity, they can age up to 60 years. Males can reach 100kg and 1.4 meters tall, while females can weigh up to 50kg at a height of 1.2 meters.
Borneo orangutans feed on fruit, including figs, durians and bananas, leaves, bird eggs, honey and insects.
Borneo has the largest population of orangutans, still their species is endangered due to habitat rapidly shrinking caused by forest fires and the expansion of human settlements, the palm oil plantations, mining, as well as being hunted to be sold as pets.
David Metcalf organizes cultural visits to Kalimantan. David leads a tour on 18 to 23 May 2016 Dayak cultural festival, the Festival Mulang Isen, with 17 Dayak tribes. This trip includes a visit to see the orangutans and attend three days Tiwah (Dayak traditional funeral).
Sightseeing www.davidmetcalfphotography.com/cultural-tour
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