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January 26,2010
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An OFI Orangutan Release in 2009

by Jade Chang, B.A. UC Irvine, Volunteer for OFI

Today was an incredible day. I had the privilege to go along with Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas to release five orangutans from the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine near Pangkalan Bun in the Indonesian province of Central Borneo. This Center is managed by the Indonesian Forestry Department along with the help and funding of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI). Normally, foreign visitors such as myself are not allowed to be present at releases into the wild such as this one. However, I had a special recommendation from a former OFI volunteer, a California lawyer who had been very enthusiastic about his OFI experience in Borneo. The orangutans were going to be released at a forest site in Seruyan regency near Tanjung Puting National Park. It took us about four hours by car from the Orangutan Care Center in Pasir Panjang, Pangkalan Bun, to travel to the release site.

It was an emotional day for me. In the morning, the staff at the Care Center prepared the iron cages for transporting the orangutans. Initially everyone was scattered around as the cages with orangutans were manually lifted up onto the beds of the pickup trucks that were going to take the orangutans to the release site. Everything had to be done correctly as the orangutans had to be transported safely and without stress. The mood was one of excitement and pride, yet an undertone of worry was present in the air. Will the five orangutans be all right on their own? Will their home be protected in a time when rainforests are being destroyed everyday for human use? Their future is at stake, and Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and OFI seemed to be doing everything they could to try and protect the orangutans' home, the rainforests of Indonesia.

This was my first time in Indonesia. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness such an extraordinary event as an orangutan release into the wild. As much as I was ecstatic about this experience, I cannot say that I was at all happy with what I saw on the way to the release site. What I noticed were miles and miles of palm oil plantations. Palm oil plantations are the number one threat to rainforests in Indonesia and, thus, to orangutans and other species of wildlife.

Palm oil is used as an ingredient in products such as soap, cosmetics, and cooking oil. Furthermore, palm oil is now being used for biofuel. Ironically, turning palm oil into biofuel is probably worse than using the petroleum products we are trying to avoid. Slashing and burning forests in Indonesia to produce palm oil emits large quantities of carbon dioxide into the world's atmosphere, making Indonesia the third largest emitter of carbon in the world after China and the United States.Substituting biofuel based on palm oil for regular petroleum-based fuels does not decrease the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, rather it increases these emissions from the fires used to convert forest to plantation and destroys precious habitats for endangered animals.

When we first left the Care Center, I had asked Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas if we were going to see palm oil plantations. She made a little laugh like a chuckle, as if she was saying "well... duh." I felt awkward for asking the question. I had seen pictures of the problem. I had read about palm oil plantations and done reports on deforestation while in college. But honestly, I did not know the extent of the problem until we came upon what seemed like an endless vista of palm oil trees. As we got closer to the release site, I felt that there were more palm oil plantations than there were rainforests in perhaps all of Indonesia. I mentioned this to Dr. Galdikas and she said that was probably true. It was not a happy feeling, because I was in profound shock at what I was seeing. At that moment, I felt helpless and powerless to do anything to stop people from contributing to palm oil plantations.

The most depressing event was driving down a road where the border of the National Park used to be. The border had been moved some miles further away into the park. On the left was the palm oil plantation, and on the right was what used to be the national park. However, all I've noticed were grasslands. What rainforest? Where? The border had been intentionally burned by palm oil plantation owners so that they could use the land. Suspicions abound that the government moved the border deeper into the park, as this land now seems useless. The thinking is that the plantation owners might as well make use of it.

Even after we entered what was once the park, there were only patches of forest left. I had no idea that the situation was this dramatic. I had been to rainforests in Costa Rica, Central America. There the rainforests are lush, dense, and magnificent. I had expected something similar in Indonesia. But to my disappointment, all I had seen up to that point in Borneo were remnants of rainforest. I could not help but feel a rush of emotion. I was trying hard not to burst into tears. The usual stories of the Indonesian rainforest are that these forests have been slashed and burned for palm oil and rubber plantations, destroyed by illegal logging, or burned by raging fires due to the effects of global climate change. Borneo's forests burn with much heavy, oily smoke, because they sit on peat swamps.

I was speechless, but my mind was racing. What can I do? What can people who do not live with this everyday do? We are blinded by the truth, if it is not in front of us. This is the case for deforestation in Indonesia and for global climate change. I am sure the public is somewhat aware of what is going on in tropical countries like Indonesia. I am sure that many people in developed countries want to help. However, when the problem is not at their doorstep, it is easy to forget about it. I had been concerned with the devastation of deforestation and the loss of animal species in the world. But the extent of the problem does not hit you in the face until you are actually being hit in the face.

That happened to me as I looked outside the car window at barren land that was once pristine rainforest. And it broke my heart to know that, given the scope of the problem, my aid alone would not rectify the situation.

Birute has dedicated her life to the preservation of rainforests and the conservation of orangutans. Through her arduous work in the last few decades, she has made a tremendous difference but she alone cannot stop the problem. It just continues to grow. However, without her tenacity and the work of other conservationists like her, the rainforests of Indonesia would not have survived to the extent that they have which means that orangutan populations would have probably been extinct by now.

That brings me back to the release of the orangutans. When we finally arrived at the release site, about ten previously released orangutans were there to greet us. It was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen in my life.. It was as if the orangutans were expecting us and were waiting to welcome us. Dr. Birute went to greet them with some rambutans, a fruit that orangutans love.

I wanted to give them some rambutans too. I was stupefied when the orangutans gathered around me and took the rambutans from my hands. The orangutans were very gentle. My spirits were again lifted. Of course, it did not last long when all I could think of was, "Can we really protect their home, the tropical rain forest? And for how long?" These are precious beings, and it will be a tragedy if they are gone from the earth.

Then Dr. Birute wanted to assess the forest before we released the five orangutans.

Surveys had already been done over the past year to assess the forest but while waiting for one of the pickup trucks to arrive, we decided to go into the forest. As we walked through the forest, four orangutans followed us. It was an amazing sight. They seemed to be curious as to what we were looking for in the forest. It felt unbelievable that I was here with the orangutans. I felt very grateful to the ladies of a private wildlife sanctuary that I had volunteered for. They had provided the connection to the former OFI volunteer who had recommended me.

Orangutans happen to be my favorite primate so literally walking with orangutans in the forest was truly an astonishing experience. Orangutans are such imperturbable creatures. They also seem very patient, carefree, fun loving, and affectionate. I think it was Pinky who held my hand several times during the walk. She later wanted me to hug her. I gave her a hug, and she did not seem to want to let go. It was such a tender moment.. We also witnessed the orangutans eating termites. One used a stick to break open a piece of termite nest. It seemed a stunning observation.

When the walk was over, it was time to release the five orangutans. Dr. Birute first released Kristen, an orangutan who had previously been released twice at other locations but whom we had to return to the Care Center both times. Then it was time to release Linda 2 and Minah. The two males, Buntik and Suran, were also released. They were all interrogated by the other orangutans. One male orangutan took interest in Kristen immediately. These five orangutans are to be followed for two weeks by ten assistants from OFI, two men to each individual orangutan. The staff will monitor their progress and well-being in the forest.

The five newly released orangutans were led to the feeding platform in the forest. They were then provisioned with fruits such as rambutans and mangosteens. Dr. Birute, the staff, and I gathered around the platform. We sat there observing the orangutans. Despite her being the largest and oldest female (or perhaps because of it?), Kristen was constantly stalked and harassed by a previously released male. Egel is smaller than her and younger and she ignored him. We all had a good laugh when Kristen wrapped herself around Birute looking for protection from this persistent little subadult male. Kristen is truly one of a kind.

Sitting with the orangutans was incredibly peaceful. The feeling of the moment was indescribable. The troubles of the world vanished. It was magical, being surrounded by orangutans on the left, on the right, and above in the canopy of the forest. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the whole scene.

We finally left the feeding platform and returned to the camp site. It was getting dark. Everybody seemed proud of their accomplishment, including the orangutans. We could only hope for the best as these gentle creatures returned to the forest. The day came to an end as we had dinner in the simple camp. In the forest all the newly released orangutans nested for the night. It was a successful day for OFI.. We left the release site shortly afterwards for the long drive back home to the vicinity of the Care Center.

Today was an experience that I will never forget. It is a cliche to say it but this was truly a dream come true for me. As I tend to be quiet and reserved, I may have seemed unaffected by the experience, but I was intensely observant of the whole process. I gained real insight into the monumental effects of deforestation and the prevalence of palm oil plantations in Indonesia. Plantations are totally detrimental to the survival of endangered species such as the orangutans. One does not truly understand or realize it in the gut until one experiences it first hand.

I yearn for a world that satisfies every person's and every creature's needs. Unfortunately, we live in a convoluted world where humanity is the controller of almost all resources. That is why it is so crucial for humanity to be responsible for its own actions. But what can you do when more than half the world lives in poverty? Everybody deserves a comfortable life with clean water, enough food to eat, and sufficient health care. However, the reality is different. In their desperation, I can understand why the citizens of Indonesia resort to working for palm oil plantations. The demand for palm oil is great, thus the benefits will be great. It is the sad truth. In order to change that truth, I believe education and awareness is key. But education and awareness are not enough. The rest of the world must take action and consume less. I believe in the motto, "only use what you need."

It was a day filled with mixed emotions. I realized that even though my aid is minuscule, it helps in preserving endangered habitats and species. I say this because if everyone in the world lived a consciously sustainable life, then each individual's tiny efforts would add up to make a huge difference. The Orangutan Foundation International and the orangutans need all the help they can get. So I am going to tell everyone whom I know and everybody whom I meet to please avoid using products made with palm oil. Please be aware of your daily consumption. And please provide service and aid for those who need it whenever you can. It is our responsibility to care about the earth and all the creatures that live on it.

-Tien Jade Chang