The Orangutans of Borneo
Shielding my eyes from the drizzling rain, I attempted to find Pete and Popeye, the mother/son orangutan pair we were following. My neck was sore from constantly looking up into the trees that blotted out the Borneo sky. Wild orangutans are mostly arboreal. They eat, travel and even sleep in the magnificent trees of the rain forest. Unfortunately, the trees they need for survival are being destroyed, causing the great apes to be classified as endangered.
Prehistorically, orangutans numbered in the hundreds of thousands and their range spanned from southern China to southeast Asia. Now their numbers are between 20-27,000. Logging, agriculture and fires are destroying the apes' habitat. In addition, the inhumane practice of killing a mother orangutan in order to secure the baby/juvenile for live animal trade is still prevalent.
The Orangutan Research and Conservation program, set up by founder Birute Galdikas, was formed to increase knowledge of the orangutan and its environment. Galdikas, one of Louis Leakey's "three angels" (Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey are the other two), began setting up research expeditions in order to gain more knowledge of the orangutans and their environment as well as provide much needed funding. As part of a six person team that signed up for an 11 day expedition, we were to follow the apes. Willingness to trudge through swamps and take careful notes seemed to be the only requirements, so our diversified group with occupations ranging from artists to bartenders set out.
Each member of our research group was paired up with a local member of the Dyak tribe. These men, experts about flora and fauna of the area, have a deep love for the land and want to do everything they can to conserve it. My Dyak guide was Odem. Taller than the rest of the Dyaks, we stood eye to eye at my 5'8" height. With a perpetual grin on his face, he seemed as excited to practice his English as to follow orangutans.
The days were long and humid. We had to follow our pair of orangutans until they bedded down for the evening. We got up before dawn in order to track the pair before they started their morning. It was quite a sight, staring up at the nest that Pete had built for the night. Watching the nest as the sun lit up the sky, I noted a tiny arm. Soon, another arm followed as well as little Popeye's head as he stretched and yawned, starting his day. Before long they were both out of the nest searching for food. We slogged after them through the jungle, watching as they swung effortlessly from tree branch to tree branch, while we trudged through the muddy swamps below. Aware we were following them, they didn't seem too concerned. I suspected Pete looked down on us with disdain occasionally, but not having the chance to observe many orangutans in the wild, it may have been her normal expression.
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