Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo Abelii) and Borneo Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus), are a large red-haired primate who lives in a humid rain forest area. The Orangutans can move easily hanging from tree to tree and also walking on the ground. They eat fruits and plants only, but their body strength is amazing, if they hug you, the power equal to 3 times human adult, you don't want make them angry then, that's what the local ranger said to me in The Leuser Mountain National Park, Bukit Lawang Village, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.
Click on image to view full screen
Where They Live?
Except the Zoo, In this world you can only see The Orangutans in their real habitat only in 2 countries, which is Indonesia and Malaysia in the tropical South East Asia. Both are rightly in the equator line, with moist and fertile tropical rain forests. And this article is written based on my own experiences during my jungle trekking in Indonesia my motherland. The trekking was in a group with the students who did their study tour and we guided by the local ranger, the jungle chef and the raftingman who we deal with.
Is it Possible To See The Orangutans Directly For Real?
Yes of course, we can see them by visiting certain jungle like in Leuser Mountain National Park in North Sumatra, in Kutacane Aceh Province, also in Tanjung Puting- Borneo. Their awesome habits amazed us and how they really almost looks similar to human, like in how their eyes gaze when look in something, how they protect their baby. Based on what i saw, The female Orangutans will never let their baby go away more than 10 metre. They are a very proctective mother.
The Orangutans are solitary animal, meaning they live alone in they nest in a certain area, although that's a wide jungle area where we can see many of them found. Like in Gunung Leuser National Park in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, these Orangutans live alone, some live together with their children. They have their respective territories. Their nest are on a tree with dry leaves that are thick and soft enough to form almost like a mattress. It's quite interesting how they can make their own bed.
Click on image to view full screen
Is It Safe To See The Orangutans?
Of course it's not safe if you will go visit this creature alone. Highly recommended, you go with an experienced ranger or jungle guide. You can try to find a good and trusted licensed jungle guide. As I found in North Sumatra-Bukit Lawang, they are hereditary experience from their families, they are also licensed under HPI (Himpunan Pramuwisata Indonesian) a guides organization where the give the young rangers a professional training series like how the survival things, the flora fauna knowledge, learn about the jungle map and trails branches, read nature time and the weather, also learning foreign language, until they passed the exams whilst in the forest and they certified.
These guides are responsible for bringing their guests in the appropriate rhythm whether their guests are young and full of energy or oldman who are easily exhausted, whether it is a long track that takes days or is it just a simple chicken track. They can provide a menu of food in the forest that fits your body whether you are a meat eater or vegetarian, a must item they serve is tropical fruits. With things like this, it feels like trekking in the forest is much unforgetable!
Click on image to view full screen
Are they Good?
The orangutans I have seen in Gunung Leuser National Park in Bukit Lawang village divided into 2 kind: Semi wild and wild. The semi wild is an orangutan that has been treated goodly and quarantined in sanctuary to be released back into its natural habitat. They usually have been named like Sandra, Jacky, Mina and many others. They are used to see humans, so they are mostly like remain in their place when they are hanging in the trees and we can watch looking up there.
This type of semiwild has its own power teritory. Like Mina, a female who is quite aggressive, she controls the orchid hill. This hill area on the left and right side is a danger slope and the jungle trekkers need to be careful when step down and that is one of the paths in the jungle trekking everyone have to passed. Rangers are always be careful to look at the signs, if Mina is on the hilltop or in the slop track area, we will for some minutes, because slope area is a fast way for the orangutan to chase humans very easily.
Another kind, the wild orangutans. They are shy when they see humans, mostly they will go away if they detect human present near them. I have seen them once but they can only be seen for a while and go away.
Click on image to view full screen
The jungle officer check and write the daily routine report in the morning at the jungle
Orangutans Chasing Humans?
Yes if you meet an aggressive one and if you bring their favourit food or fruit in your bag. Their smells radar is so sharp, and can detect you from far away. If whilst you are trekking and hear the sound of tree trunks moving and keep following you, the rangers will make sure and ask, did you bring something food or fruit in your bag? Detected!
Click on image to view full screen
How can you find them in a large forest?
We can detect them in several ways:
1. Walk in the forest where they usually are appears. Don't go alone. Unless you're a trained ranger. Highly recomended go in guided.
2. Activate your eyes sonar
Look always at the top of the tree if you see moving leaves or tree trunks without any wind, then make sure again is that red-haired primate hanging up there? Because they have there also black gibbons, honey bear, long tail macaque, that often near the trees.
3. Maximize your sense of hearing.
Open your ears wide, enjoy the jungle sound, the calling of orangutans, the gibbons, the birds singing, the waterfall ...that's the best part.
4. Activate maximum your sense of smell.
Oh orangutans never go to bath. So they are very fragrant, very distinctive body, and you will be very easy to recognize it from a distance though.
5. Beware.
Orangutans are animal that have an unpredictable instinct.
What should I Do When Spotted Orangutans?
Click on image to view full screen
1. Smile and keep calm and keep your distance at least 10 meters away.
2. Make yourself comfortable and make the orangutan feels it as well. Don't make him feel threatened, like surrounding him too close and too crowded.
3. Don't feed him.
You can make them sick and kill them with the wrong food. Their food is fruits that grow naturally in their habitat.
4. He is not a doll. Don't approach him to hug him. The bacteria that we transferred to them can make orangutans sick.
5. Tourism Responsible. Even though they are adorable, they are animals that have instincts that cannot be predicted. There was a case where my friend stood close to Jacky Orangutan, so she was hugged for a long time by Jacky, and it was either fun or make your heart beating hardly because the orangutans strength could just make my friend killed, fortunately the situation is under control and the ranger act quickly and made Jacky to pulled away his arms.
Click on image to view full screen
This is also my entry for the #amazingnature contest that hosted by @adalger. This amazing animals closely 96% similar to human DNA. And this critically endangered gems need to be protected.
How about you, have you see them in real? Seeing the orangutans is like seeing a beautiful creature from other planet phenomena. I see them many times and it was pretty fun. If you have any question about this article, let me know and leave your comment here below. Thanks so much for reading this. Hope this article help the travelers.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY POST. HOPEFULLY YOU LIKE IT. Pictures taken in Aceh Province, Indonesia with Xiaomi Android Redmi 3 Pro.
