Orangutan Rescue: On the frontline in Sumatra

We are still having to rescue Sumatran orangutans from danger at an alarming rate. In fact, if anything, demand for the services of our rescue team are growing., But although on the surface this sounds like bad news, we actually see it as evidence that calling our rescue team has become a first port of call, instead of someone shooting an orangutan.

 Unfortunately the destruction of their habitat is still ongoing and the more orangutans come into contact with humans, the more likely they are to suffer. If you depend on your small field to provide enough food to feed your family, it’s not surprising you get cross when an orangutans comes and eats half your crop. For this reason, as well as rescuing the orangutans in question and releasing them again further from human populations, we also work with the villagers to teach them techniques for scaring the orangutans away, rather than harming them.

There has been significant coverage in the media of the impact of large-scale palm oil plantations on orangutan habitat. We are delighted to be able to report that more than four years after we made an official complaint against one of its members, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has this month confirmed the expulsion of PT Ibris Palm, whose subsidiary company PT Sisirau is responsible for the destruction of orangutan habitat in Sumatra. The RSPO is a body which regulates certified sustainable palm oil, aiming to limit the negative environmental and social impacts of the industry.

In 2012, seven orangutans were evacuated from an oil palm plantation managed by PT Sisirau in Aceh province, Sumatra. SOS filed a complaint with the RSPO, submitting evidence that the company had continued to bulldoze patches of forest even after being alerted to the presence of orangutans within the plantation.

To date the rescue team have rescued 110 orangutans from isolated forests and the illegal pet trade. Orangutan rescues and translocations carry extreme risks for the animals and people involved, and are only carried out as a last resort if orangutans are considered to be in danger of starvation, injury or death.

All seven orangutans that were evacuated from PT Sisirau's plantation in 2012 were safely released into the Leuser Ecosystem, a protected area and the last stronghold for the species. Thank you for making this vital work possible. It’s important though, that we try to prevent the problems occurring in the first place, which is why we also devote our resources to lobbying the law-enforcement agencies to enforce the laws. For this reason, the HOCRU team increased their visits to local communities and schools. They monitor orangutan habitat and population growth in villages adjacent to the Leuser Ecosystem, including educating local people about the vital part the orangutans play in maintaining the health of the forest.

You may be aware that Nov 29 is #GivingTuesday. On this day, any donations you make to our project via GlobalGiving will be matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Please give if you can and help us to provide a safe future for these increadible creatures.

Links:

• more info on RSPO expulsion

Sumatran lowland rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate, and unfortunately the Leuser Ecosystem, the last stronghold of the Sumatran orangutan, is not spared from this destruction.

The expansion of farmlands, especially oil palm plantations, continuous forest and national park encroachment by smallholder farmers, the development of roads and other infrastructure, all lead to the disappearance of this beautiful species' home, making it more vulnerable to humans and extinction every day. But thanks to your wonderful support, orangutans have a lifeline: the Human Orangutan Conflict Response Units!

Since the end of July, our HOCRU teams in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces rescued and assisted 8 Sumatran orangutans (3 babies, 1 female and 4 males). The 4 males had been found in community farmland near the shrinking rainforests. The loss of their habitat brings an increasing number of orangutan near human settlements and agricultural land where they are in danger of human attacks, air riffles shots or captivity - the fate of the 2 babies and 1 female our HOCRU teams confiscated from villagers, along with 6 slow lorises, 2 siamangs and 2 gibbons.

Awareness and law enforcement are also key priorities to save the Sumatran orangutan so our HOCRU teams multiplied their interventions among local communities and schools. While conducting orangutan habitat and population surveys in 8 villages, HOCRU members play a vital role in sensitizing villagers, local authorities and students (440 during the past 3 months!) to the role of forests and biodiversity.

Finally, to prepare new orangutan conservationists and veterinarians as part of their apprectinceship programme, the HOCRU teams have selected an internship fellow student and participated in the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group (OVAG) 2016 Workshop held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Thank you for your invaluable support of this vital work. Please consider setting up a monthly donation or sharing this project with your friends and family.