Through the Balikpapan Orangutan Society (BOS-USA, now The Orangutan Conservancy), The Trust funded the emergency relocation of five adult Bornean orangutans displaced by deforestation for establishment of palm oil plantations in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The forests are destroyed rapidly through bulldozing, and the orangutans do not have time to retreat. They fall with the trees, and have been killed or mutilated with machetes while they lay injured or stunned on the ground. Those that manage to escape either starve or are harassed or killed when they turn to fruit trees in villages and to the newly planted palms for food. There appears to be little effective enforcement, leaving only anesthesia, rescue and relocation as a way to save the apes.

The target of Great Ape Trust’s grant is the area of Parenggean where there is a 30,000-hectare oil palm concession, of which approximately 65% has already been planted with oil palms. This area is mainly primary lowland forest with a high density of orangutans, gibbons, sun bears, slow loris, proboscis monkeys and many other species. At the time that BOS submitted their application in mid 2005, 133 wild orangutans had already been translocated from this concession, of which 107 had been released again in secure forested areas in Central Kalimantan. It is estimated that 400 to 600 more will have to be relocated.

The rescue and relocation work is conducted by the Bornean Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation. Lone Droscher Nielsen leads the rescue and relocation team, and negotiated with the company developing the oil palm plantations to facilitate the work. Ms. Nielsen has worked with orangutan rehabilitation in Indonesia for over 10 years, and founded the Nyaru Mentang rehabilitation station, regarded as one of the best and most innovative orangutan care centers. Her negotiations have established good relationships with plantation staff ensuring that they will stay away from the orangutans rather than hurt or harass them, and will notify the BOS team rapidly of the need for a rescue. While this reduces some suffering, the conservation and welfare of orangutans will continue to be in jeopardy as their forest homes are cut.

Web site: www.orangutan.com