OBSERVING RELEASED ORANGUTANS IN THEIR “NEW” ENVIRONS (1)

When I arrived at Totat-Jalu Camp in Batikap with Coral, one of the post-release monitors (PRM), we received an update from Svenja and Nick also on the PRM team, and Purnomo, the Camp Coordinator, regarding two orangutans from the most-recent release in August, 2015. From daily observations, the two orangutans, Sumeh and Jambi, both of whom were released with offspring, appeared to be struggling somewhat in their new environment.

Sumeh, who has two offspring (Gembira, an eight-year-old female, and Sawung, a one-year-old male), and Jambi, who has one (the very active 18-month old male Jamartin) were reported to be somewhat inactive and not feeding regularly. This was not a good sign; so the monitoring team, decided they needed full-time observations.

The following day, I kept an eye on Sumeh while Coral observed Jambi. The first day of observations gave us positive insights into Sumeh’s life in the forest; she was observed foraging for food and was more active than previously reported. Both of her offspring - Gembira and Sawung - were found in great condition and appeared active and happy. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Jambi. Coral reported that Jambi sat in her nest for about five hours and did little more than rub her skin and glance down at her observers. Jamartin appeared to be faring much better than his mother; the little boy was seen jumping from his nest, playing on his own, and hanging and swinging on branches and lianas.

We planned to intensively observe Jambi and Jamartin and considered the possible reasons for Jambi’s miserable demeanour; could it be from disease, an infection or food poisoning? We wanted to observe Jambi for at least three days consecutively and were prepared to intervene if necessary. When an orangutan is as lethargic as Jambi, intervention might be required; especially if they have dependant offspring. A selection of fruits and de-worming medication was offered to Jambi during her observations, and her activity actually improved slightly day by day. She was willing to leave her nest to take the fruit and she moved with vigour. However, she still wouldn’t search for food on her own, which was a worrying situation both for her and her infant. Meanwhile, Sumeh was observed to be in far better condition than three days prior.

On the afternoon of the fourth day of observations, Jambi and Jamartin had some unexpected guests: Sumeh and her children who arrived on a food-searching mission. At first, Jambi remained still and watched them from a distance. The expression on her face showed that she recognised the visitors. Sumeh also appeared to recognize Jambi and Jamartin. Gembira was also nearby, but had moved a bit further off to search for food in another tree. Sumeh decided to come closer to Jambi and Jamartin. It was an exciting yet anxious moment.

Together with Svenja and Sumarno, one of the PRM technicians, we worried the two mothers would fight and unintentionally harm their offspring in the melee. Then, Jamartin climbed up and reached his hand out to Sumeh. It was almost like he wanted to introduce himself to Sumeh and Sawung. Sumeh then reached back for Jamartin’s hand. It was really lovely to watch. Sawung watched this moment in silence with his big wandering eyes.

Then the sound of branches cracked through the forest as Jambi suddenly climbed up and grabbed Jamartin, scaring Sumeh away. It seemed Jambi didn’t appreciate Sumeh interacting with her young son. This is perhaps a common reaction, because once an orangutan is released back into the wild, food competition takes precedence over friendships. Perhaps Jambi’s primary concern wasn’t the Jamartin-Sumeh interaction – maybe she felt threatened by Sumeh being in her territory, especially after finding such a rich food source (delivered by humans). It is highly possible Jambi was just trying to stop other orangutans from taking her food.

The interaction between the two mothers, Jambi and Sumeh, did not stop there. Please read more on their encounter on our next story!