AN AMAZING ENCOUNTER WITH SVENJA
Our PRM team in the Hiran watershed of TNBBBR conducts phenology surveys and unexpectedly encountered Svenja.
After completing the construction of Totat Jalu camp in Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest, Central Kalimantan last December 2014 , the “Laskar Kahiyu” which means the “Orangutan Warriors” (our name for the post release monitoring team in Batikap) can finally live under a true roof, not just a big tent prone to looting by wild animals or flooding from the Sei Joloi river.
Welcome to Totat Jalu Camp
The initial planning for this new construction project began in 2012. Slowly but surely, the building process by BOS Foundation’s own staff progressed despite many challenges faced during its development.
Building a camp in the forest does not give you the right to cut down trees and use the timber since the status of Bukit Batikap is that of a conservation forest. The whole forest is protected by law, which is the reason that we selected Batikap as our release site. Therefore, we transported all of the necessary materials to Batikap by boat. Contructing camp, organising 9 releases from our rehabilitation center at Nyaru Menteng and monitoring all of the orangutans we have released has been the daily routine and focus of our Kahiyu Warriors since 2012.
Totat Jalu Camp
During his visit to Bukit Batikap for the 10th orangutan release from Nyaru Menteng last month, the BOS Foundation’s very own CEO, Dr. Jamartin Sihite officially inaugurated the camp. Jamartin expressed his deep appreciation for the hard work that the Laskar Kahiyu team had put in over the last 3 years and the fantastic results achieved.
Our hope is that this new camp benefits the monitoring team and makes their work much easier and more comfortable.