Travels in Borneo, the land of the orang-utan

IT was somewhere between a refreshing beer and just before the drum beats of Canadian band Iskwew that I looked around and realised how at home I was in a remote cultural village in the middle of Borneo.

It was the three-day Rainforest World Music Festival - a tribal Big Day Out - that hooked me on Malaysia.

It only took an hour to drive from the bustling city of Kuching to the Sarawak Cultural Village where the festival was in full swing with music workshops, sizzling food stalls and performers tuning up.

We stayed at the Kuching Hilton, an imposing hotel of 315 guest rooms perched on the Sarawak River.

The city was laid at our feet and we could explore the waterfront, pose with the city’s bizarre giant cat statues and brush up on local history in the Sarawak Museum.

A leisurely 275km journey, with stops at rubber, cocoa and pepper farms and a short boat ride, took us to the Batang Ai Longhouse Resort, managed by Hilton, its only jungle property.

Its 11 accommodation blocks are based on traditional Borneo longhouses.

Tours upstream the Ulu Air river in motorised longboats led us to the start of a humid but memorable trek under the rainforest canopy of the Batang Ai National Park, home to protected wildlife like orang-utans, hornbills and gibbons.

We were on the lookout for the notoriously shy ‘rangas’, but the only sign of them was their droppings in the middle of our track. Still, it was nice to know they were there, high up in the trees, watching us.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Travels in Borneo, the land of the orang-utan

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Unique Borneo trip aims to protect little known Sun Bear

The label reads, "Please look after this bear. Thank you." It worked for Paddington but can it work for the Sun Bear of Borneo?

You may not have heard of the Sun Bear. They are the smallest of all species of bear, they like to live in trees, and yes, they do eat honey. Their existence is being threatened by loss of habitat through deforestation, poaching and uses in Asian medicine.

So, some people in Borneo have said enough is enough. In 2008, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) was born. In August 2012, Kevin Albin who runs a trekking and expedition company, Let Loose with Adventure, will be leading a group to work at the Centre to continue this work.

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre was created by a group of people who wanted to help the bears including Siew Te Wong who has been studying them for a number of years. The Centre aims to provide care, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and captive sun bears as well as addressing the lack of knowledge and awareness.

They are getting ready to open to the public by building public access into the forest such as walk ways and observation platforms.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Unique Borneo trip aims to protect little known Sun Bear

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Book Review: Colourful guide to Borneo

PHOTOGRAPHS in Enchanting Borneo, a colourful book by travel writer David Bowden, are beautiful enough to enchant one to plan a trip to the world's biggest island, Borneo.

Though it is not written like a typical travel guide book, it is handy for those making a trip there soon.

The 80-page glossy book is visually-driven and packed with basic information and interesting facts that will guide you on your destination.

The colourful travel photo book also makes a well-informed guide for those who wants to know more about the richness and diversity of Borneo.

The first chapter is an overview of Borneo where Bowden touches on the geography, history, people, the uniqueness of the habitats, plants and animals, as well as the adventures and lifestyle.

Borneo is home to a rich profusion of flora and fauna. With such a wild landscape, it's not surprising that it offers tourist a wealth of thrilling adventures like climbing the world's highest “via ferrata” on Mount Kinabalu, white-water rafting on a raging jungle river and even water skiing around the Borneo coastline.

Borneo is an unrivalled destination for adventurous eco-travellers.

Major parts of the book dissects all four places — Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesian Kalimantan — in four individual chapters.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Book Review: Colourful guide to Borneo

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8 things you should know about the Borneo Sumatran rhino

The smallest of all

The Borneo Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrison) is a sub-species of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). It is the smallest of five living species, standing at about 145cm (4 feet 9 inches) and measuring 3m and 17cm (10 feet 5 inches) in length. It weighs between 500kg and 1,000kg. It can live up to about 30 years.

Unique to Borneo

The Sumatran rhinos are found in Indonesia's Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and on Borneo island. But the Borneon sub-species lives only on Borneo island. It is one of three species with two horns and is the only one in Asia. Two other Asian rhino species, the Indian and the Javan, have one horn. The White and Black African rhinos have two horns. The Sumatran rhino and its Borneon cousin have a front horn of between 25cm and 79cm long and a smaller one which is shorter than 10cm.

They have reddish brown hair which gives them the nickname of "hairy rhino".

Facing extinction

Nobody knows how many of them are left in the rainforest that straddles the east Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and Indonesia's Kalimantan province on Borneo island, the world's third largest. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that there are between 30 and 70 of them. A 2005 survey found evidence of only 13 rhinos in Sabah.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: 8 things you should know about the Borneo Sumatran rhino

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Pandaw cruise boat cruising into the sunset

RV Orient Pandaw the cruise boat that brings tourists into the heart of Borneo along the mighty Rajang is sailing into the sunset as it will cease operation next year.

It will sail up the longest river in Malaysia for the last time in March and its swansong voyage is already almost fully booked with just a few tickets left available.

The Pandaw newsletter recently announced the cessation of its Rajang cruise explaining that “…logistical and operational difficulties of working are so tough an environment that the project has been commercially unsuccessful”.

Pandaw the largest luxury river cruise operator in South East Asia runs river expedition cruises in four countries in the region – Burma on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers, Cambodia and Vietnam on Mekong River and Malaysia on Rajang River.

The Sarawak Tourism Board had been notified but there is nothing it could do because as a commercial venture the Pandaw Rajang cruise is subjected to market forces.

Direc tor of Corporation Communication of Angelina Bateman when contacted recently said; “Our role so far has been to help facilitate it by promoting the tour. Other than that we cannot get involved, except in helping them to promote since it is a commercial operation.”

Bateman expressed regret that the cruise failed to succeed as a commercial venture as it had helped to promote tourism in the state internationally.

When it was launched on July 1, 2009 it was hailed as a catalyst for the growth of the tourism industry in the central region of the state but it was also drew flaks from local tour operators who were left out of its travel itinerary.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Pandaw cruise boat cruising into the sunset

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Capture of rare Sumatran rhino gives hope for species

Malaysian wildlife authorities said Monday the capture of a young female Borneo Sumatran rhino had given them a last chance to save the highly endangered species from extinction.

The female rhino, aged between 10 and 12 years old, was caught on December 18 and is being kept in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah on the Malaysian area of Borneo island where it is hoped it will breed with a lone captive male.

"All of us in Sabah are relieved that we have been able to capture this rhino after almost a year-and-a-half," Borneo Rhino Alliance director Junaidi Payne told AFP.

The female rhino, which has been named Puntung, was caught in a joint operation by the Borneo Rhino Alliance and the Sabah Wildlife Department.

"This is now the very last chance to save this species, one of the most ancient forms of mammal," Laurentius Ambu, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department, said in a statement.

Puntung had been specifically targeted since early 2010 as the mate for a 20-year-old, lone male rhino named Tam, who was rescued from an oil palm plantation in August 2008.

"It is an ideal age for breeding. Puntung and Tam are being kept in adjacent paddocks. They can see each other and there is some communication," Payne said.

Previous attempts in the 1980s and 1990s to breed Borneo Sumatran rhinos failed but Payne said he was "cautiously optimistic" the latest captive breeding programme would succeed.

The critically endangered Sumatran rhino is a mostly solitary animal except for courtship and rearing young.

Payne said the main threat to the survival of species "is there are so few and they do not mate in the wild."

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Capture of rare Sumatran rhino gives hope for species

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Win a week's holiday in Borneo, Malaysia

You could win a 7 day/6 night holiday for you and a friend to Sarawak, Borneo courtesy of Malaysia Tourism and the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show.

On this amazing trip to Malaysia you will discover a wealth of surprises, eclectic cultures and natural wonders.

Start your journey at the incredibly city of Kuching - the capital city of Sarawak. A modern city with all the creature comforts of a growing metropolis, yet one that still retains its old charms with a picturesque waterfront, sidewalk cafes, colonial historical buildings, museums, markets, and pockets of gardens and parks.

As this fantastic Malaysian trip moves on, you will get to visit such places as the wonderful Semenggoh Wildlife Centre which works to rehabilitate Orangutans, and you will experience the Iban Longhouse and meet the headhunters! The Iban tribe is the largest ethnic group in Sarawak.

They will welcome you to their home, the longhouse, and experience their communal lifestyle. There are opportunities to learn how to dance their traditional dance “Ngajat”, play their musical instruments, fish using fish nets, follow them to the farm, join a hunting trip, see traditional tattooing, and discover their culture and beliefs - if you have the time that is!

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Win a week's holiday in Borneo, Malaysia

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Borneo-China 4×4 Autumn Expedition

MIRI: Extreme expenditure lovers are invited to join the third series of Borneo-China 4×4 Autumn Expedition organised by Borneo Automotive Leisure Tour Agency to be held in Oct next year.

According to the organising chairman, Dr Ling Tung King, registration has been launched and members of the public are invited to register fast to avoid disappointment.

“The fee will only be informed later as we have not worked out the full details yet.

“You can either join us as passengers or drivers of your own vehicle. I can assure that this journey will be very special because we will be going various places in China,” he said.

He added that some places which they would visit might not appear in travel agents’ list making the journey worthwhile.

The co-organising chairperson, Irene Xie, of China City Zone Tour is in Miri to work out the details of the journey with Dr Ling.

To promote the event, Miri Photography Society will be holding a day photo exhibition on the first and second series of the expedition at Pustaka Miri today.

There will also be similar exhibition to be held on the third floor of Bintang Megamall from Dec 16 to 26, which would be officiated at by Mayor Lawrence Lai at 7pm today.

Dr Ling revealed this after his meeting with Lai at the latter’s office to discuss the matter yesterday. Also present were Xie and other members of the organising committee.

Among objectives of the expedition is to promote Miri to tourists in China and to allow the participants to enjoy China on a bigger scale by paying less.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Borneo-China 4×4 Autumn Expedition
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How Borneo orangutans avoid starvation in lean times

They use body fat and muscles as energy until bounty of food is available, study shows

Orangutans in Borneo can survive potential starvation by using their body fat and muscles as energy until a bounty of food is available, researchers find, adding that the results may someday shed light on the eating habits of our earliest ancestors.

The findings may also speak to various low-carb, high-protein diets, because essentially weight comes down to caloric intake for these orangutans as it does us, the researchers say.

In Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia, forests go through periods of high fruit yield, where around 80 percent or more of the plants will produce fruit all at once. Following these "masting" periods, the forests endure stretches of sparse fruit availability that can last anywhere from two to eight years. To survive in this unpredictable environment, orangutans put on fat by gorging on fruits when they're available, and then live off of these reserves until the next masting year.

Researchers have now learned that the orangutans start to metabolize their own muscles for protein after these fat reserves are gone.

"In this stage there is evidence of tissue wasting, the same kind that you would observe in anorexic patients," said Erin Vogel, an evolutionary anthropologist at Rutgers University and lead author of the new study.

Vogel and her colleagues also learned that the primates avoid extreme protein deficiency by eating tough foods, such as leaves and bark, using highly adapted molars, not unlike those found in modern humans and our hominin ancestors. By comparing the physical properties of orangutans' teeth and food with those of other primates, scientists may someday be able to tease out the diets of our ancestors, Vogel said.

The importance of protein

Protein is important for the growth and reproduction of all animals, but few studies have investigated how wild animals maintain protein balance, the researchers said. This question is especially interesting for species in Borneo because of the island's seemingly inhospitable fruit-crop cycles.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: How Borneo orangutans avoid starvation in lean times

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Family says Sydney woman killed by elephant in Borneo was 'gifted'

AN Australian woman who died after being gored by an elephant in Malaysia was a gifted veterinarian with a keen interest in wild animals, her mother says.

Sydney-based vet Jenna O'Grady Donley was attacked by a pygmy elephant in a remote wildlife park on the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo yesterday.

The 25-year-old was trekking with a friend and a local guide in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah state when the elephant turned on them.

Her mother Liz Donley said the sanctuary said it was a very unusual occurrence.

She said Jenna and her friend were very respectful of animals' environments but believed the group had startled the bull elephant.

"Bull elephants are fast, they can move with unpredictability, and they're aggressive and they're protective,'' Ms Donley told ABC radio today.

"This was an animal by itself and they startled it.

"This is an accident that's happened, a very tragic accident.''

Her daughter had a keen interest in large animals and had volunteered in Africa to help injured animals at a wildlife sanctuary.

She had recently completed a thesis on renal failure in big cats, which her mother said would hopefully assist in finding a cure.

"Jenna was a very gifted child in the veterinary science field,'' Ms Donley said.

"Like a lot of the students that attend veterinary science they have to have a mixture of passion, intelligence and a complete devotion to the health of animals.''

Ms Donley said losing her only child at the age of 25 was difficult but she hoped Jenna's work would leave a lasting legacy.

"It has happened and from that we have to move on with a positive note - that from Jenna's work and from the type of person that she was, we know that she had many friends, good family - and someone else now will take on that research and continue it.''

One of young vet's university internship supervisors, Edla Arzey, said she had great potential.

"She was a very talented student, she was full of life, full of adventure, and this is what got her into trouble,'' Ms Arzey told AAP.

"She was doing something she really wanted to do, she was certainly enjoying everything here, interested in absolutely everything

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Family says Sydney woman killed by elephant in Borneo was 'gifted'

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Welcome to the jungle

The trees sounded, leaves clapping together like applause to announce the orangutans' arrival.

We had been waiting with more than 100 spectators at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Center, about 40 minutes drive from Sandakan town, which is next to a nature reserve in Malaysian Borneo.

We could hear, but couldn't see, them. Suddenly, one blasted across the tree canopy.

"An orangutan and a baby!"

Everyone cheered as an orangutan mother clutching a tiny tike landed on the feeding platform.

More came. The playful orangutans weren't shy. They showed off, jumping around and performing aerobics on a rope.

Others at the feeding platform turned their backs to the crowd for a little privacy.

The twice-a-day feeding sessions are part of the rehabilitation program to help the animals make a smooth transition from captivity to the wild.

Semi-independent orangutans on the forest's outskirts come to the feeding platform until they discover full confidence in finding their own food in the jungle's interior.

We journeyed further into the forest to search for more wild animals. We discovered a solitary orangutan in a tree nearby.

The largest arboreal, or tree-dwelling mammal, makes fresh sleeping nests from branches and foliage in the crowns of trees every night. They make simpler nests for daytime naps.

"Orangutan" comes from the Malay words for "man" (orang) and "of the forest" (utan).

"Man" is an apt word choice. Orangutans share 96.4 percent of human genes.

The orangutan population has shrunk over the past 40 years because of disruptive human activities, such as excessive logging and clearing land for plantations.

We had a little adventure on our way out of the forest.

We saw two, then three, long-tailed macaques marching toward us along the boardwalk rails. Then there were four, and five and, suddenly, a long line of long-tailed and pigtailed macaques and their babies hopping toward us single file.

I immediately recalled what our guide, Johnny, had told us about macaques.

"Macaques are social animals, who live and move in big groups. If you come across them, don't make direct eye contact and don't show your teeth if you smile. Macaques see these as intimidating and may attack."

As the procession of macaques captivated our attention, a huge long-tailed male appeared out of nowhere, screeching at us.

Johnny advised us to calmly and quickly move away from this frightening male.

We fled the forest and returned to town.

The town has two main roads and few traffic lights but many roundabouts. Sandakan's low-rises and old markets are reminiscent of 1960s' Hong Kong, when Hong Kong investors and immigrants flew in and turned it into what's colloquially known as "Little Hong Kong".

Sandakan's rich history, nature and wildlife have since made it a post-cruise destination in Sabah.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Welcome to the jungle
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Orang-utan mum snapped smiling as she lovingly cradles her dozing child

It is one of a collection of images that capture the apes’ human-like behaviour as they go about their daily lives.

In another, the nine-month-old – called Thor – is also pictured playing with a leaf in the arms of his mother, Tutut.

‘They are very human-like in their gestures, glances and general behaviour,’ said photographer Fiona Rogers.

‘They can work you out – they study you and try to figure out who you are and what you are thinking.

‘It felt quite eerie to be with an ape that was very intelligent and deliberate in its thinking.’

Ms Rogers and fellow photographer Anup Shah captured the heartwarming scenes over three weeks in Borneo’s Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia. As well as looking into the world of Tutut and Thor, the pair followed a male orang-utan as he waded his way through some water. Just like a human, he raises his arms as he negotiates his route.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Orang-utan mum snapped smiling as she lovingly cradles her dozing child

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Will Orangutans Become Extinct Before the Conservation Community Gets Its Game on?

There is nothing cuter than a baby orangutan with its tussle of red hair bedecking a mostly bald head and big brown inquisitive eyes sparkling with wisdom, curiosity, and soulfulness.

Visiting orangutans in the wilds of Borneo or Sumatra tops my bucket list and it is clear I am running out of time to translate that dream into reality. A report detailing orangutan interactions with humans in Indonesia was released last week and is making international news.

The report shows that nearly 700 orangutans were slaughtered by local villagers in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo. While the findings of the research are terribly sad, they are not terribly shocking. Similarly, the conservation community's response to the survey is predictable: a call for the opening of more conservation areas and stricter punishment of orangutan killers.

This call to action is standard operating procedure for thousands of conservation workers and millions, if not billions, of conservation dollars. As a conservation expert, I am all too familiar with the battle cry of the protected area.

The concept is simple: we need to set up a network of safe havens for the world's most vulnerable species. In other words, keep animals safe by keeping people out. However, this solution is seriously flawed and doomed to failure for several reasons. In many cases, individuals existing on the brink of survival will resort to desperate measures to feed their families. Under such dire circumstances, the borders of a protected area are rarely a meaningful deterrent.

As Suci Utami Atmoko, a field coordinator in Indonesia notes, hunger was the main reason for killing and eating the orangutans. 'Some residents were desperate and had no other choice but to kill them after spending three days hunting for food,'. As a conservationist, I find it inconceivable that I would, under any circumstances, kill an orangutan. As a mother, I find it not only possible but extremely plausible that I would do whatever it takes to feed my children after watching them suffer from hunger for days on end.

I am not alone in this regard; in the case highlighted here, a full 70% of the villagers questioned knew the orangutans were a protected or endangered species when they killed them.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Will Orangutans Become Extinct Before the Conservation Community Gets Its Game on?

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Small mammals use Borneo pitcher plant as toilet in exchange for nectar

Tree shrews and nocturnal rats in the forests of Borneo have a unique relationship with carnivorous pitcher plants. The mammals defecate, and the pitchers are happy to receive.

A study published on May 31 in the Journal of Tropical Ecology shows a species of giant mountain pitcher plants (Nepenthes rajah) supplements its diet with nitrogen from the feces of tree shrews (Tupaia montana) that forage in daylight and summit rats (Rattus baluensis) active at night. When the small mammals lick nectar from the underside of the pitcher’s lid, they stand directly over the jug-shaped pitcher organ.

The pitchers grow in nutrient-poor, acidic soils and require a supplemental source of nitrogen. Carnivorous plants usually digest bugs, grabbing nitrogen from protein. The Bornean pitchers consume nitrogen-rich feces.

Researchers have already documented tree shrews using two species of Nepenthes pitcher plants as toilets. A third species provides daytime roosts for Hardwicke’s woolly bats in exchange for guano.

However, this is the first instance of a carnivorous plant interacting with two different mammal species, and the first attempt to measure how the plants attract the dining and defecating animals.

“The fact that one of the mammals visits the pitchers during the day and the other one visits during the night indicates that this plant is involved in one of these mutualistic interactions around the clock, which is quite interesting,” said Charles Clarke, an ecologist at Monash University, Malaysia campus, who published a similar study at the same time, in an interview with mongabay.com.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Small mammals use Borneo pitcher plant as toilet in exchange for nectar

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Orangutan habitat restoration efforts in Sabah bear fruit

By Catharine Goh

There is hope yet for Borneo's most iconic animal, the orangutan. Recently several images of orang utans building nests in replanted trees were captured by WWF-Malaysia in the once-degraded but newly restored area at the northern part of Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserves in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

In fact, such efforts to rehabilitate wildlife habitat which were initiated by the Sabah Forestry Department has given hope that the wildlife population in the forest will increase before long.

Sabah Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan has expressed satisfaction upon seeing that the reforestation efforts are helping the orangutans settle in the forest reserves.

"The best for the survival of the species is to have well-managed forests as a home, with a mixture of native tree species being planted to enhance the quality of wildlife habitat and food sources, especially for the orangutan," he enthused.

He said the declaration of restoration efforts in Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserves on March 15, 2006 is strategically linked to the largest endangered population of the Bornean orangutan, subspecies Pongo pygmaeus morio, in Sabah.

The Ulu Segama-Malua Sustainable Forest Management programme, covering an area of 241,098 hectares (ha), was initiated by the Sabah state government and is jointly managed by the department and Yayasan Sabah for the conservation and rehabilitation of habitat for endangered wildlife.

The department has partnered WWF-Malaysia in reforestation efforts within 2,400ha of the NUS area since 2008.

Dr Rahimatsah Amat, the Chief Technical Officer (Borneo programme) of WWF-Malaysia, was delighted to see that the orang utan conservation efforts in Ulu Segama Malua were bearing fruit.

"The orangutan is the largest arboreal (tree-living) animal in the world. They spend most of their time in trees - feeding, sheltering and travelling through the forest canopy from one tree to another," he noted.

"Without trees, it would be difficult for orangutans to survive," he said, adding that he hoped to see the orang utans continue utilising the restored forest area, which has more replanted trees for food, shelter and travel.

Dr Rahimatsah said his research and monitoring team was already seeing some exciting results, reporting evidence of much wildlife starting to return to the restored areas of the forest - not just orangutans but also other wildlife such as the Clouded Leopard, Sun Bear and many more endangered species.

"There was a herd of wild Borneo Pygmy Elephants that passed through our reforestation site early this year, but fortunately they didn't cause any major damage towards the replanted trees," he said.

On the other hand, the elephants have left their dung at the replanted site as a tremendous natural fertiliser, Dr Rahimatsah added.

A video clip of an orangutan swinging on replanted trees can be viewed at WWF Malaysia's Youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO-roPfjcP4

Dr Rahimatsah further stated that "we could not have done it without the collaboration from the department and Yayasan Sabah, as well as our generous donors who have always been a part of our conservation effort".

Funding for the reforestation came from WWF-Germany, WWF-United Kingdom, WWF-Netherlands and WWF-Japan, as well as private sector organisations such as Adessium Foundation, Itochu Group, Marks & Spencer, Seng Heng and Aeon Jusco.

To date, 1,096ha of degraded forest in the forested reserves have been replanted out of the total 2,400 ha which was allocated to WWF-Malaysia for reforestation by the department.

The Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve was awarded the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate by the Scientific Certification System (SCS) at the FSC General Assembly held at Kota Kinabalu in June 2011.

The certification would mean that the home for orang utans is better conserved.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Sunday
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Struggle for survival between Borneos and orangutans for food

On November 4, 2011, the world reverberated with shock news about the death of 691 orangutans, slaughtered by starving villagers in the rain forests of Kalimatan, Borneo. A resulting study involved about 7,000 natives in 698 villages.

Desperately needing food, the hungry villagers of Borneo have lost their usual source of food as starving animals have moved onto nearby farmland to look for food. With a world population of 7 billion people, horrific sights like this will become common place scenarios.

According to the Daily Mail in the UK, "Miss Suci Utami Atmoko, a field co-ordinator with The Nature Conservancy, said hunger was the main reason for killing and eating the orang-utans.' Some residents were desperate and had no other choice but to kill them after spending three days hunting for food.' "

However, there are other reasons why the Borneo villagers kill these great apes other than food: using the meat for traditional medicines; fear of the apes attacking their villages; and to sell the surviving orangutan babies to pet markets.

The survey by the Nature Conservancy was done from April of 2008 to September of 2009. Additional groups involved in it was the World Wildlife Fund, the People's Resource and Conservation Foundation Indonesia, and the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation. The results showed that approximately 70% of the villagers were aware the orangutan s were not only protected but were an endangered species.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Struggle for survival between Borneos and orangutans for food

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Borneo's Endangered Orangutans Pay Price of Progress

Just a week after the last known Javan rhino was reported dead in Vietnam, a new study shows that orangutan hunting is on the rise in one of that animal's last refuges, the Borneo region of Kalimantan. With swathes of forests being cleared for industry, the endangered primates are entering villages and plantations for food - leading villagers to kill them as pests or to eat them.

The conversion of Kalimantan’s forests into concessions for logging, pulp and paper and mining has long been a threat to the survival of the orangutan. But it is not the only one.

Dr. Erik Meijaard is the chief scientist behind the survey conducted by The Nature Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group. He says that shrinking forests go hand in hand with the mounting slaughter of endangered orangutans by local communities.

Dr. Meijard says bushmeat is part of the local lifestyle, so even if hunters are not looking for orangutans, they will eat them when they catch them.

“A lot of people like orangutan meat. I mean, people describe it as a sweet meat that has a good taste apparently. So I think that once people do have an orangutan they are quite happy to eat it… The average hunter in Borneo will be targeting pigs and deer. They are the biggest animals with the most meat. But sometimes if you don't get anything and you can catch an orangutan you'll take it.”

Conducted in more than 600 villages in Kalimantan, the survey showed that orangutans are sometimes deliberately targetted.

Local villagers told the researchers that oil palm companies have paid them to eradicate the endangered animals. The companies see them as pests, explains Dr. Damayanti, a lecturer in Ecology at the Agriculture Institute in Bogor who was involved in the study.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Borneo's Endangered Orangutans Pay Price of Progress

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Couple set to save orangutans in Borneo

An adventurous couple from South Lanarkshire are getting ready to save orangutans from cruelty on a rainforest trek through Borneo.

Angela Wood and Iain McArthur leave Scotland on November 3 for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)’s Borneo Jungle Explorer trek.

The Bothwell duo will have to journey through the Kalimantan rainforest and climb mountains in the heat and humidity in order to reach the Nyaru Menteng sanctuary.

The Nyaru Menteng sanctuary is the world’s largest orangutan sanctuary and rehabilitation project and contains over 1000 traumatised, orphaned and injured orangutans.

Keen hillwalkers Angela and Iain have been following a four month fitness regime in preparation for the trip.

Angela, a hypnotherapist, said: “I was quite excited about the trip up until this week when I’ve been getting lots of injections and having to get mosquito nets and wear in my boots.

“It's all getting so real - I'm concerned about the humidity and the heat, the closer I get to the actual trip the more I think about all the negatives, like the creepy crawlies and leeches which are a big problem.

“The mosquitoes are really bad and I’m taking lots of tablets for malaria at the moment, it’s not like mosquitoes in Spain or Tenerife, these have serious consequences.

“I know it will be worth it though. The sanctuary saves hundreds of orangutans and I can tell I’m going to cry when I get there. It will be very emotional.”

All the orangutans at the centre in Borneo are in need of physical and emotional care. Before arriving at the sanctuary many have been injured in machete attacks, rescued from the pet trade or found starving.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Couple set to save orangutans in Borneo
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Divers find wreck of Dutch WWII sub off Borneo

THE HAGUE: Sport divers off the northern coast of Borneo have discovered the wreck of a Dutch World War II submarine, missing for the past 70 years, the Dutch defence ministry said Monday.

“The HR. MS. KXVI, which has been missing with a crew of 36 since 1941, has been found,” it said in a statement released in The Hague.

“It was discovered by Australian and Singaporean sport divers in the waters ‘above’ the island of Borneo after a tip-off from a local fisherman,” the ministry added.

It did not state the exact location of the wreck out of respect for the dead crew and their descendants.

The 1,000-tonne KXVI was part of the Allied fleet tasked with stopping the Japanese invasion of the then Dutch East Indies.

Continue reading at: Divers find wreck of Dutch WWII sub off Borneo
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'Civilised' orangutan store knowledge and pass it down between generations - just like humans

Many people think 'culture' is what divides man from the apes.

But a group of University of Zurich researchers have proved that orangutan societies can learn behaviour and pass it down through the generations, just like human cultures.

Orangutans in different areas of Sumatra and Borneo behave differently - and researchers were puzzled as to why.

But it turns out the differences are not down to genetics - instead, the 'local cultures' are learned and passed down among local groups of apes, similar to how people behave differently in, say, Aberdeen and Plymouth, or New York and Ohio.

The finding hints that the roots of human societies may go back for millions of years.

The roots of our culture could be shared with the roots of ape cultures.

The researchers analysed 100,000 hours of orangutan behaviour and genetically profiled 150 orangutans.

About a decade ago, biologists who had been observing great apes in the wild reported that behaviour 'changed' with geography, in a way that hinted that the apes had cultures that stored and passed on ideas.

The finding triggered an intense debate among scientists.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: 'Civilised' orangutan store knowledge and pass it down between generations - just like humans

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