DEVELOPING BATIKAP

Welcome to Camp Totat Jalu, home of the Kahiu (orangutan in Dayak) Troops.

The Kahiu Crew or Orangutan Crew the nickname given to our Post Release Monitoring (PRM) Team who observe the orangutans we have reintroduced into Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest in Central Kalimantan from our rehabilitation center, Nyaru Menteng.

The camp is located right in the heart of Borneo and originally comprised a simple semi-permanent structure made of tarpaulin and wood.
 

Physical Development of the Camp

Camp Totat Jalu is maintained judiciously by the monitoring team and they carry out regular repair work at the site to ensure that it is a safe and comfortable for all its inhabitants. The Camp often takes a beating from rain and subsequent flooding of the Posu River which in turn hampers our monitoring activities. The release of more than 130 orangutans into Bukit Batikap by the BOS Foundation is challenging for the monitoring team, but despite their rudimentary camp facilities they have provided the best possible post-release monitoring data over the past few years.  However it was high time to provide them with the permanent camp which we had long since planned. This is clearly important to ensure the safety and comfort of the members of the team as well as the monitoring equipment.

The construction of the camp was 80% complete by September, and was only awaiting the final materials required for the roof. The main reason behind the delay was the challenge in delivering materials to Camp Totat Jalu as it is in a remote location which can be reached only by small boats. However, we are delighted to report that the roof is on and the team have already moved in!

Building the Spirit

The Camp in Totat Jalu is not just undergoing a physical tranformation in the form of a new building. It is also being developed in spirit with a continuing focus on building and maintaining  our skillful, trained and  highly dedicated team.

Training has been organized for the new PRM technicians on compass and GPS use, hand held radios, cameras and video cameras. This basic knowledge is also supported by other supplementary information such as recognizing tree species and recording phenology data, establishing transects and collecting and storing data. First aid training is also provided to ensure safety of the PRM technicians during their monitoring activities.

The new permanent camp structure and ongoing training activities will ensure that our team can continue to monitor and collect invaluable data on our reintroduced orangutans as well as prepare themselves for new releases planned for the new year.