Dr. Gonzo: Teachings From An Orphaned Orangutan

Well hello there.

It has been some time now since I've offered any updates on the jungle life I have now been experiencing for a total of 16 months.

I'm in my last phase now with just about 6 weeks left. I can't deny that I feel a sense of excitement for what's next but all the while there is a sadness to leave this place that has inevitably become my home.

And so I will make the trip from Palangkaraya to Camp one more time, in hopes that it wont be my last.

I will start with the most recent, significant event that involves a baby orangutan that was somehow named Gonzalez, though I prefer the shortened version Dr. Gonzo. However I must begin with the origins of the discovery of this little fellow, which involves what used to be our kitchen; a molding shack of a house, which was sinking on both sides so when you entered there was a sharp elevation climb and then a steep downhill into the tv room. I mention this amusing yet ridiculous piece of architecture because if we had never bought wood to rebuild it, we would have never found the 3 year old male orangutan infant crouched below the wood pile there. At the time, I was in Katunjuung (a village a hour south on the river where Achi and I have just gotten approval to start the education project) at a parent meeting explaining that we want to educate their children about the environment at no cost to them. Suddenly Brigitte (our new Swiss manager who is absolutley amazing, having arrived just a year and a half too late) was there explaining how there is a baby orangutan that she is going to take away to camp so that we can later send him to a rehabilitaiton center.
I had always heard stories about orangutan infants being found, but never had I thought that I would experience it.
So later that evening I came back to camp and there he was, all nestled down in a cardboard box that he chose with a blanket and some branches that he made into his own nest. Later he awoke, looked around a bit, drank so powdered milk and then began to notice the cats taking interest in him and would swat them if they came too close. At one point when he had fallen asleep again, it was heartbreaking to see him do a whimper-shiver (somewhat like dogs) but I imagined that he was dreaming of his mother.
In the morning I had my first contact with him. I was just sitting down to have sweet mung bean porridge when he walked over the table towards me going after my coffee and when I took that away, stuck his face in the bowl, sipping daintily at the bean soup.
I then had the pleasure of watching while he half held onto my neck or arm and ate various choices that were around him; bean soup, rice and tofu, milk, electrolytes.
Meeting Dr. Gonzo was an amazing and tragic moment that I'm thankful to have had but that I would not want to experience again, because the moment an infant loses their mom and is brought into the human world, there is never going back, it will never again live like a wild orangutan and though this is the reality with thousands of orangutans in rehabs, the thought is too sad to bare.



The rest I have to offer is a quick summary. How quickly things change here. Presently I find myself in the most ideal camp situation I have yet to have experienced. There are students! And they are great. We are an international (western) group with 3 students from University of Zurich- Alie (Canadian), Stefanie (French), Markus (Swiss) and then my roomate (camp is so packed now we all share rooms) Rebecca (English). Two UNAS, Indonesian students just arrrived and there are more students to come in the near future.
There has been a constant flow of orangutans to follow with some crazy days that go on until after dark. And there is a lot of fruit in the forest so the forecast is orangutans.
Achi has returned to Jakarta, so I am now officially in charge of the education project, going once a week to the schools to teach about various environmental topics from biodiversity to peat swamps, while monitoring the seeds that were just planted in the greenhouse. It continues to be a challenging task, especially now that the Tuanan School has no teacher, so they are out of practice and it requires all of my patience and enthusiasm. But they are wonderful and motivated and truly want to learn.

I look forward to my final days in the forest with new and old primate friends and in the classroom singing with the children, until the day I must say farewell.


In the meantime, photos:

Back from Bapak holiday, in the boat heading to camp


Our former boatman Pak Ina, who somehow continues to sometimes be our boatman

Mornings waiting below the nest

Impromptu English Class at the local snack shack

Team Tuanan Training

What I imagine prehistoric insects to look like

Kitty time

Peat Swamp Turtle!

Shrooms

Perfect camouflage

Jungle fashion for life

Making the school greenhouse

Biodiversity day

The finished greenhouse

Herbarium search

Bec

Stef and Idun

Jungle Pa

Slimy alien fungus

Green Cocoon

Dear Wodan

Nimble Forest Creatures

I wish to apologize, because at the moment I am not well enough to elaborate on specific experiences and observations of the past few months.

I can say however, that I was very happy to be back, overjoyed to see the assistants and their families and all the kids that I continue to teach some English to here and there.

My first day in the forest again, walking to the nest, I was literally squealing like an excited little girl to be here again, this place, like coming back to a home.

I can say that there have been some exciting encounters, within and outside of the orangutan world. I was delighted to come upon Jinak with her new baby boy, that we named Joya.

And to find out that Kondor (who the last time I saw was a wild girl having 10 day long or more love affairs and who every male desired) is pregnant for the first time.

And then to see how the each infant has grow so much and how individual they are.

I saw my first tarsier. Very exciting.

And then...drumroll..a clouded leopard was spotted! This is just completely amazing because I had only heard of one other account of actually seeing one in person in the forest. Wisnu, our new manager was searching with assistants Abuk and Idun, and there it was, just lying on the old boardwalk on one of the main transects. And it stayed that way for an hour. The guys stayed at about 50m away but did get one good photo and wow how beautiful.

So the creatures are out and about and everywhere. Like right outside my room, about 5pm every evening I hear these scattering noises in the leaves and then maybe get a glimpse of those little mouse deer scampering around or sometimes just standing there staring. Once, one just stood and watched making these little kick, backwards movements with its front legs. I watched it as one of the cats watched as well.

And the sun bear. He or she has been around quite often, going after our garbage can, sometimes when we are eating dinner and that is about 3m away. He/she literally picks the bin up and takes it to its special spot in the forest.

I only had one sighting of Tony, the monitor lizard. Supposedly he hadn't been around for a long time perhaps because it was dry season, but the day after some heavy rains there he was and I was happy to see him.

And that is all I have in me at the moment because I feel as if there are creatures in my stomache.

Be well and don't give up. This is really happening.

Picture Time:

Mindy and her 3 year-old girl Mawas

Kino (4 year old boy) being cute

Baby Joya sleeping in mamma Jinak's arms while brother Jerry watches

This patch on the ground is actually what I think is a orangutan nest, position 0, very rare

Sunset glow

Kitten climbs my pants

Sabrina

Rio

Belu the sun bear

Jip looking satisfied with himself

Tono models orangtuan fecal sample

A new flanged that Cathleen and I named "The Dude"

Tarsier!

Idun models the preferred direction to look towards in the forest

Drinking vine water from Akar kalawit..ahhh refreshing!

Dr. Seuss' fuzzy caterpillar

Liana Swing

Joya clings

Leaf frog on lichen

Mousedeer

Polka-dotted beetle cluster

First Things First...Flores!

So here I am again, back in Indonesia. Now currently back in Borneo, having been in limbo the past week, waiting to get to the forest. And the time has come for I depart tomorrow morning!

The new jungle stories have yet to take place, but when I'm in touch with civilization again, early November, I'm sure there will be some worthy moments to delight your eyes and ears.

For now, the few words I have to share are of my mini trip to the island of mini people (that is, where the 'Hobbit' or Homo florensiensis discovered) , Oh Flores Island.

Since life can change directions so quickly, plans a-changed and I found myself on a 50-seater plane heading towards the smallest airport I've been to yet (as the Australian mother of her 4-ish year old son told him when he said "Wow, this must be the smallest airport in the world!")

And there I was dropped of, Labuan Bajo in West Flores, waiting for my friend Meret (who has been living and working in East Flores the past 3 months with another 8 to go) and her manboy to pick me up (her term) Sui. With 6 days ahead of no plans but certain desires to be in the warm soothing sea and catch some Komodo dragon sightings, there certainly was a lot more than expected which I find is how things tend to work out.

And there was more than one surprise, both good and bad.

But because of lack of internet connection, I will be brief. Please do enquire for details.

To truly experience my time in Flores I had to transform, perhaps some would say de-evolve into...

Homo z. florensiensis

Our first day out on the sea to find a good snorkel spot and that it was. Amazing. Beautiful coral and fish of every color and size and as Meret continued to say, calls to mind Sebastian singing "under the sea.." I first had a hula song in my head I learned in Maui, "..and all the little fishies come swimming to me.." Good times.

We ended up going snorkeling 3 days in a row and in those days it became such a routine. Go to Bapak Snorkel for our gear, walk the local paths behind houses to the dock, bargain for a boat and glide across the crystalline water to our destination.

This ride brought us to a unexpected twist of reality. It was Idul Fitri, the holiday at the end of Ramadan when the fast is broken and friends and families go from house to house greeting one another, asking for and receiving forgiveness. This particular family offered to drop us off at a little island on the way to another larger little island.

Nusa Tenggara Timor, the most eastern region of Indonesia is crowded with islands and you really start to understand that there are indeed around 17,000 islands in Indonesia, hard to comprehend when you are in the middle of the jungle in Borneo.

Before we arrive at the island, we can see that there are festivities going on from the amount of people, smoke from fires and loud music set up from generators and so decide to avoid that scene of mostly males on their way to inebriation. Wading around the corner we find a more secluded spot and jump in the water. Some time later, as I'm resting in the shade, I smell something burning and mumble "damn, they're burning garbage." And moments later I hear loud voices of commotion going on and look up the hillside and it is ON FIRE. Yep, the geniuses started a wildfire, the whole island IN FLAMES. I on first reaction, start to freak out a bit, head for the water, and a boat picking up women and girls that couldn't swim, came towards us and next thing I know a grandmother is tugging me in.

While the island continued to burn, we were transferred from one boat to the other. I was in a somber type of shock in disbelief that this little island was burning before my eyes, thinking of the lizards running for their lives. But there was joy in this tragedy, where boys of all ages will be boys, putting on shows for the bule girls. I especially enjoyed the name of this boat, thinking of my mother, and was intrigued by what it said to offer. Meret had the pleasure to adventure aboard later on after I left.

Sleepy dragons lazin' in the shade on Rinca Island, in Komodo National Park

Looking out from a tiny island, Tetawa kecil, in Komodo National Park

Sunned and salted to the perfect degree of happiness

Ray Rock

Sting Rays...that was the most exotic thing (to my knowledge) that I saw in these waters. Fast and shy, I saw just a glimpse of bluish body with purple spots and that long spike of a tail.

Our last night, we were invited to the home of Pak John and his family, the same that gave us a ride the island burn day. Hospitality is most definitely a forte' of Indonesians, welcoming complete strangers into their home as their own and then baring gifts of komodo dragon bracelets. Such generosity.

Earlier that day, we hired Captain Pak John and his crew to take us back to our first snorkel spot. That afternoon, again resting in the shade, I was given another blow, this time one of a philosophical, intellectual sort as Pak John incited a discussion essentially about life and what we both agreed upon is the necessity to make more decisions from the heart and that we must continue to learn throughout our lives and to then share such wisdom.

And that's where I'll leave my time in Flores.

The most exciting thing about Palangkaraya were these super exotic fruits found only in this area. Fikty had hired a taksi (those mini buses I'm sure I told you about and I'm sure my dad would love to tell you more about) for the day and she remembered these fruits that she tried here 5 years earlier and so the driver new a spot where we could find some. I had to stay in the vehicle for fear that a bule (white person) may raise the price or make the chance of bargaining impossible. I laughed in agreement and held down the fort.

This one is similar to durian though not as pungent and so less of an intense experience in general

And this one, well I enjoyed it

And off I go into the Jungle until I come out again in November, my hopes as some form of forest creature.

My love to you all.