The Camp Leakey Orangutans, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)
Dr. Birute Galdikas uses up to five Dayak trackers who have no trouble climbing into the rainforest canopy for fieldwork since tracking the orangutans on the ground isn't easy because of swamps. It is probably thanks to her groundbreaking work that there are any orangutans left at all in Borneo with rampant tree cutting. She, Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees, and Dian Fossey who studied and protected mountain gorillas, truly were "Leakey's Angels."
It didn't take more than a few minutes of ranger calling before the trees began rustling, treetops moving and orangutans began approaching from all directions. Even though these older orangutans have been reintroduced into the rain forest, a free handout of bananas and milk is never to be disdained. Did you know that a male orangutan's arm span can reach 7 feet (2.13 m) or more? Take a look at this orangutan's arms.
There were orangutans above us, orangutans descending from trees to the right...View image, peering out from behind bushes...View image, orangutans everywhere you looked. And there was even a huge orangutan night nest above us...
The Orangutans came and went from the platform depending on status and position. The lower-ranked orangutans would look cautiously around, grab a bunch of bananas, stuff in mouth, swallow, take another bunch and head back into the trees...View image.
They sat around interacting, a little sexual play now and then...View image, and there were two mothers with babies. Those orangutan babies couldn't possibly be any cuter with their big eyes and fluffy hairdos.
One of the mothers with baby on back scared the bejesus out of everyone when she casually walked right into the visitors, over a log in the middle of the seats and headed into the forest... View image. You should have seen how quickly we all scattered to get out of her way!
We intellectually know that the ape family is our closest relative but the expressions on those human-looking orangutans when you actually have a chance to see them in person, only a few feet away, is priceless. Sad (perhaps a bad hair day)...View image, reflective, questioning...
The mosquitoes, giant ants...View image... and humidity finally drove us back to the boat for a refreshing, cold shower, and a little r&r while the boat motored over to a good mooring spot for the night...
