A REUNION WITH MONA AND JUMINTEN

Rain was pouring down on Kehje Sewen Forest since dawn delaying our patrol teams scheduled to head for Lembu Transect that day. Divided into two teams, we were tasked to search for our released orangutans in the area and to conduct monthly phenology activities.

After almost two hours, the rain finally stopped and the sun started to peer through the dark clouds. We rushed to get ready and soon departed to Lembu. Lucky for us, the currents of Lesik River behind the camp was not so strong, enabling us to cross easily. The next river, Lembu River, was also quite friendly in terms of currents and water levels. We reached Lembu Transect in a couple of hours.

Team 1 started to activate the radio telemetri equipment and stopped every 100 meters to detect orangutan signals along the transect. Team 2 headed straight to Lembu Phenology Camp to start collecting data of plants’ life cycle in the area.

Suddenly, the phenology team received news from the patroling team who went up to Titin Hill. They detected signals of Mona! The two teams decided to search for Mona together. We raced to Titin Hill and hiked up a slippery and muddy track along the ridge of the hill. Signals were getting stronger, but where is Mona?

Finally, a colleague spotted Mona and radioed the rest of us. We changed direction and headed to the reported spot where we found Mona sitting in a tree, enjoying a lot of fruits. We were happy to see that she was in good health.

Mona was also very active moving from tree to tree. While watching Mona swinging around, we were surprised to see another individual sitting on a higher branch of a tree. It was Juminten! Just like Mona, Juminten was also in good condition and very active. Mona and Juminten hung out together for quite some time, sharing fruits and clearly enjoying each other’s company.

After two hours of observation and documentation, we left Mona and Juminten in peace. It had started to rain again and considering the difficult terrain in Lembu area, we decided to call it a day. However, we were happy to get the opportunity to meet both Mona and Juminten, especially because we hadn’t seen them for a while. It was like a little reunion. Well done, teams!