from The Jakarta Post
The US Embassy, the Indonesian government and the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation on Thursday announced the successful release of two male and two female rescued orangutans into the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in the center of Kalimantan.
The release of the four orangutans raised the total number of the rescued critically endangered animals in the national park to 75 since the first release in August 2016.
Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Center (BKSDA) head Adib Gunawan said: “We should continue to release orangutans back into their natural habitat because there are still hundreds of orangutans currently residing in rehabilitation centers.”
The head of the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park Center for Central and West Kalimantan Heru Raharjo said his institution would make sure all of the orangutans were able to reintegrate into their habitat and increase their population.
from PHYS.ORG
Scientists have discovered that the same plant used by indigenous people on Borneo is also used by wild orangutans to treat joint and muscle inflammation.
Borneo Nature Foundation scientists have been observing wild Bornean orangutans in the Sabangau Forest (Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo) since 2003 and have collected over 20,000 hours of observational data.
During this time the use of the Dracaena cantleyi plant for self-medication by orangutans has only been observed on seven occasions. But, the team were fortunate to capture this rare behaviour on camera.
In the video, a female orangutan, called ‘Indy’, can be seen chewing the leaves to produce a white soapy lather. This lather was then rubbed onto the upper left arm for approximately 7 minutes and the leaves were never swallowed.
Borneo Nature Foundation collaborated with an international team of scientists to analyse the properties of the plant.
by Dana Dovey for Newsweek
Alba, the world’s only known albino orangutan, now has her own personal island sanctuary in Borneo to live out the rest of her days safely tucked away from the humans who may want to do her harm. Orangutans are endangered creatures, but Alba’s rare genetic disorder makes her truly a one-of-a-kind ape.
Alba, named after the Latin word for “white,” has albinism, a rare genetic condition that exists in many species and causes serious deficits in melanin, a pigment that gives hair, skin and eyes their colors. According to the National Institutes of Health, the condition is caused by a genetic mutation that affects the production of melanin, either slowing it down or stopping it completely.
Today, the white orangutan lives in captivity, but soon she will be moved to a man-made island so that she can live her life outside of captivity, but still safe from humans who may endanger her welfare.
This excerpt from a news article appeared in and is courtesy of Newsweek and can be read in its entirety here.
Source : www.orangutan.com