MY VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AT NYARU MENTENG

Every morning at Nyaru Menteng starts in the same way, with the calls of ‘Ayo’ echoing around this small patch of forest in Central Kalimantan. This is no ordinary forest, as it is home to around 550 rescued orphan orangutans, and this summer I was lucky enough to work with, and get to know the people there.

As a student veterinary nurse, I was in the privileged position of helping Nyaru Menteng’s Medical team - or ‘Medis’- look after their charges.

The day starts at 7 am, with some of Nyaru Menteng’s 200 staff calling the young orangutans to come out from their sleeping cages, for ‘Forest School’. During this time the medical team and myself prepared medications to be administered to the young orangutans. This ranged from giving a few supplementary vitamins, to de-worming all the orangutans; at Nyaru Menteng, no two days are ever the same! Any orangutan that appears unwell is held back for further testing.

There are seven vets at the centre, on call 24 hours a day. After the initial morning check ups, there is time for a quick meeting between the medical staff. It is incredible that the teams knows each orangutan individually, and are always aware of their specific needs and ailments!

After the morning meeting we normally attended to the severely ill orangutans. Malaria is a serious issue across Borneo, and the orangutans are equally at risk as humans from this disease. During my time I helped care for around 10 orangutans who had contracted Malaria; preparing their medication, monitoring their body temperature and checking their blood. There is a special isolation unit for the very sick orangutans, who are cared for round the clock by dedicated babysitters and ‘teknisi’ (technicians).

Luckily, the centre is very well equipped, so diagnosis and treatment of the sick animals is dealt with very quickly. Sick orangutans present with very similar symptoms to humans; they are lethargic, and generally feeling sorry for themselves! Fortunately there are plenty of babysitters, who work round the clock, to provide these youngsters with plenty of cuddles and ‘TLC’.

Very close to the main centre is Nyaru Menteng’s infant group, where some of the youngest orangutans live. Like many of the orangutans at the centre, these babies are almost all confiscated pets. During my two-month stay, six new orangutans were brought in, all rescued from local villages, and all without their mothers. The staff at Nyaru Menteng play a vital role, not just in the rescue of orangutans, but also in education and awareness about the plight of the orangutan and other native species.

The babies receive individual care from babysitters who act as surrogate mothers and sleep with them through the night, waking up for nighttime feeds, and comforting the little babies. Their patience is definitely rewarded: one orangutan, Tundai, came in very scared and nervous, but after a couple of weeks grew in confidence and was able to relax in her new surroundings.

Nyaru Menteng is also home to many adult, and semi-wild orangutans. Many of these live freely on one of three islands. Again, their behaviour is monitored daily by the teknisi, and they are fed supplementary fruit twice a day. Many are awaiting release, and I was lucky enough to follow one of the vets on a mission to capture some of the latest release candidates. This was no easy task as many of these orangutans display all the wild instincts and characteristics, including avoiding humans! We did manage to capture one, and brought him back safely to the quarantine area of centre, prior to his transfer into a secured forest area. It is a real testament to the work that Nyaru Menteng does, in how well prepared these candidates are for release into the wild. Having gone through all the stages of forest school, the orangutans truly mature into wild adults, with an opportunity for a wild future, too.

My time at Nyaru Menteng was immensely rewarding. Seeing the care given to the orangutans, from the tiny infants to mature adults, was very moving. All the staff show immense dedication to the welfare and future of all the animals in their care, and this has definitely inspired me in the veterinary work I do in England. I hope one day I can return to Kalimantan and see some of the youngsters I cared for also get their chance for release into the forest, and their ‘forever’ home!