MEETING ACUL AGAIN

Acul was one of the teenage male orangutans released on 18 March 2014. But agile Acul quickly disappeared far into the forest only a few days after his release, beyond the reach of our PRM Team.

After months of searching, we finally found Acul again on 15 October. We were very happy to meet him because he looked happy, healthy and active, moving from one tree to another. His cheek-pads were developing magnificently and, once in a while, he produced a long call, marking his territory.

When Acul saw us coming, he kiss-squeaked, and threw tree branches at us. One of the throws was actually well aimed that it hit one of us. He also was observed engaging Mayang in copulation, after which he joined Lesan, Yayang, Sayang, Leke and Hamzah in a fruit party.

However, after two full days of observation, we lost Acul again. His transmitter failed to work so we had difficulty finding him again.

Early December, we were on patrol at Gunung Belah transect en route to Phenology transect. Every 100 meters, we checked orangutans using radio telemetry. After a while, we found Lesan, Yayang and Sayang.

We were taking their pictures and data when we were surprised by Acul who suddenly appeared and joined the three females. They played together and were seen eating a lot of fruits. In the afternoon, it started to rain so they made hats from large leaves. Finally, it was time to rest. They all built their nests close to each other. We left them after making sure they were all asleep.

The next day, we got up extra early to return to Acul’s nest. It was still quiet when we got there. Then at around 6.40 am, Acul woke up and sat on a tree branch. Five minutes later, Acul was joined by his three female friends, Lesan, Yayang And Sayang to enjoy more fruits together. At around 9 am, there was a newcomer in the vicinity, Leke. At first she didn’t really want to join them. She sat in a tree, checking them out from afar. Eventually Leke decided to continue her journey to the west. Soon, Lesan, Sayang and Yayang followed Leke and left Acul alone.

Acul moved to an Ara tree and relaxed on a branch, then started breaking some branches to build his daytime nest for a nap. He woke up in the afternoon and immediately approached Yayang and Sayang who had returned to the area. Acul and Yayang seemed to hit it off as we observed the two mating in a tree that lazy afternoon. Nighttime came, Acul started to build a brand new nest and went to bed. It was a sign for us to return to camp.

Nice to meet you again, Acul. Hope to see you again soon!