The Orangutans of Pondok Tanggui, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)
Tanjung Puting National Park...View image... is located on the south coast of Borneo in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. (I'll refer to "Borneo," the third largest island in the world, as both Borneo and Kalimantan throughout these articles.) This park began as a reserve to protect Orangutans in 1936 and is now a National Park. Besides Orangutans, the main focus of our visit, there are gibbons, sun bears, crocodiles, over 200 species of birds and the rare "blowing mushroom." I haven't a clue as to what a "blowing mushroom is...educate me if you know...
Up very early, after all, it is almost impossible to sleep on a deck in bright light with forest/jungle sounds all around you, and tried to get organized. This was not easy and will take a while to get into a routine. First step is to forget about wearing contact lenses this week and attempt a "decent to scuzzy look." Anything more than that will be a losing battle. Breakfast of coffee, french toast, omelet and juice before chugging upstream to Pandok Tanggui.
Most of the tourist klotoks were heading directly upriver to other reserves but Fery thought we'd miss the "crowds" (perhaps 20 tourists is considered a crowd on the Indonesian side) by stopping at Pondok Tanggui...View image... for the first feeding at 9:00 a.m. Pondok Tanggui is a newly established rehabilitation center for orangutans, located between Tanjung Harapan and Natai Lengkuas that has two feedings a day, another at 2:00 p.m. when the majority of tourists arrive. We would have seen the 2:00 p.m. feeding yesterday if the IAT plane had arrived on time.
The klotok pulled up to the Pondok Tanggui boardwalk leading to a small registration desk in the forest. Fery registered us...View image... (all registration and guide fees were included in the Borneo Discovery package) and we walked further into the mossy, extremely hot and humid forest with quinine plants and warnings from Fery to avoid the Fire Ants walking across the path.
The rangers spread bananas, milk and other fruit onto the feeding platform and began calling out to the orangutans with a series of hoots while exactly four other tourists stood with us, sweat flying in all directions. We kept glancing from the platform to the forest. Forest to platform and suddenly, there was this a male Orangutan just sitting there. He approached so quietly, no one even heard him. "Doyok" was one huge Alpha Male! Approximately, 20 years old, somewhere in the range of 90 kg/200 pounds, and in his prime. This orangutan had the massive cheek pads and large throat pouches that older males in Borneo develop. ...View image...
Male orangutans are primarily solitary animals and despite all the calling from rangers, no other orangutan came to the feeding platform today. Even if other orangutans had appeared, none would have dared approach the feeding platform while this behemoth gorged himself on bananas. Peeling, stuffing in mouth, making loud smacking sounds, picking up another banana and repeat through bunches of them.
Fery told us that male orangutans this size won't swing through the forest because they are too big and heavy. However, they will build a new sleeping nest every night high in the forest canopy and have even been observed making a roof to protect themselves from rain!
A person could literally sit for hours watching but it was time to make our way out for the forest to the boat for lunch and continue upstream towards Camp Leakey for the 2:00 p.m. feeding.
Fery was disappointed that only one orangutan showed up for bananas at Pondok Tanggui but not us. If a person could only see one orangutan in the wild, this gigantic Alpha male was a winner!
