Moment of silence in Orangutan Sanctuary

Sudibyo M. Wiradji ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Kuching   |  Thu, 05/15/2008 12:35 PM  |  Supplement

"So, you are going to see your cousin?" quipped someone in our group who was about to visit an orangutan rehabilitation center.

"Don't say your cousin. Our close relatives," said another.

This kind of banter is common among visitors to the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary, located just outside the municipality of Pandungan, 25 kilometers from Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia.

Established back in 1975, the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary, a forest reserve covering some 740 hectares, is home to at least 23 orangutans or "Man of the Forest". The orphaned and injured primates, after being taken from the jungle, are being rehabilitated before eventually being released back into the wild.

Visitors to Kuching do not miss out on catching a glimpse of the untamed orangutans during feeding sessions, which are held twice daily, in the morning at 9 a.m. and afternoon at 3 p.m.

Led by our guide Margaret Tan Kui Eng better better known as Maggie, we -- a handful of reporters from Indonesia and low-cost carrier AirAsia staff -- joined a trip to Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary to see the great apes, which scientists say, can only be found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

But there was no more banter, no more chatting and no more laughter as we reached Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary at around 3 p.m. The tranquility intensified as we stepped onto the trail leading to a point from which to watch the orangutans. We walked quietly in line behind our guide and two rangers. It was as if we under the spell of the intimidating jungle with its tall belian trees (iron trees). And so the only sound we heard was that of singing insects from the average 20-meter-high trees, which was occasionally accompanied by the rustle of foliage.

Not far from the entry point there is a notice board reading "Mind Your Own Safety. Beware of Dead Branches above Your Head". Therefore, during our walk along the trail, most of us kept looking up in case a primate appeared or dried branches fell. But several minutes after we left the entry point, the drama began, preceding the real show at the feeding platform.

"Psst ... an orangutan is coming up in front of us," whispered Maggie while turning toward us and putting a finger to her lips, warning us of the sudden and unexpected presence of an orangutan.

Maggie's warning made us curious but at the same tense and wary. We looked up, searching for what Western environmentalists claim to be one of the most critically endangered great apes.

From around four meters or so, the primate looked like a black cloth in the branches as the afternoon sun was behind it, plus it was hidden behind tree trunks and leaves. But walking closer toward the tree on which the solitary primate sat quietly, we saw it more clearly. Without being told to, we repeated snapped away with our cameras.

Again Maggie put her finger to her lips, reminding us not to make any noise. We had already been informed earlier that an orangutan could turn aggressive if a noise disturbed him because the orangutans were animals of the wild. This also meant that we had to switch off our mobile phones.

But, perhaps being aware of our presence, the orangutan stared at us and moments later moved through the tree, shaking the branches. He seemed to be trying to get closer to us but the ranger, using "orangutan language" persuaded him to stay away and, perhaps, asked permission for us to be present and allow us to pass.

It took quite a while for the ranger to persuade the orangutan to stay away, while at the same time a small insect crept up my nose, making me want to sneeze but I had to control it as I did not want to risk being bitten or mauled by the primate. As a consequence, one of my companions gave me a strange look.

Luckily a few minutes later, the orangutan suddenly left us after exhibiting his skills in swinging by one long, strong arm after the other. He ascended to the tree top and took off, disappearing among the trees.

Along the trail, three different orangutans made sudden appearances. And every time an orangutan appeared above our heads, we snapped away with our cameras and the ranger persuaded him/her to keep their distance and let us pass.

The real excitement was when we reached the trail's end facing a feeding platform. We felt more relaxed in this clearing, which had more exposure to the sunlight. A group of Western tourists, whose faces were full of delighted wonder, was already there when we arrived and were about to leave the site.

The feeding platform was more or less 50 meters from the trail's end where we stood, separated by a foliage-filled trench. If no orangutans had made sudden appearances on our way to the feeding platform, we might have come on time and seen more orangutans gulping down their meal.

About 15 meters above the feeding platform, a female orangutan, which according to our guide was called Sedoku, 36, was sitting on a big branch, feeding her young one, Saddam.

"The baby looks cute and funny," whispered one of the low-cost AirAsia stewardesses in amazement.

Sedoku demonstrated her skill in holding her offspring with just her legs and swinging it up and down. "Don't let the baby fall," the stewardess whispered.

While Sedoku swung her young one, colorful squirrels joyfully leaped onto the platform to steal the remnants of food served to the orangutans, such as bananas, potatoes and sugarcane.

For about 10 minutes Sedoku fed her young one. I watched every move until she jumped onto the rope with her young one on her back and made her way back into the rain forest.

On our way back, not long after we left the platform, another orangutan made a sudden appearance, but this time it took longer as if he wanted to steal the show. We stopped behind the group of tourists who had left the platform earlier. The orangutan descended to the ground and squatted on the trail, at which the ranger tried to persuade him to let us pass. Under such circumstances, the tourists looked tense as though they were watching a land mine being defused. We were compelled to stop for a couple of minutes, while our minds raced in the moments of silence.

If the orangutan could speak like us, we may have learned why he behaved so. Perhaps he smelled something unfamiliar or perhaps he was expressing concern over the loss of his habitat, which, according to Western environmentalists, was partly caused by rampant tree felling to make a way for an oil palm plantation, although further evidence was needed to prove this. Was their concern based on sincerity to protect the endangered primates or was there a business motive behind it? According to the environmental group the Worldwide Fund For Nature (WWF), the orangutan may disappear completely in 20 years.

But before my mind wandered further, our guide raised her hand, signaling that we could continue along the trail leading out of the jungle. Once we emerged from the jungle, she told us that the orangutan that exhibited unexpected behavior was called George. The four-year-old primate behaved so as he was looking for his mother.

"It's the first time I have seen orangutans in the wild, and not in the zoo. It is interesting to learn how we had to walk along a narrow trail and I was a bit scared," said a young girl from Germany, after lighting a cigarette in a smoking area close to the gift shop. "I think orangutans should be protected," she said.

So there is more to tell in the moments of silence in Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary, not only seeing orangutans gulp down their food!

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