A TALE OF RESILIENCE
Our Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) team at Camp Himba Pambelum in the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park finally spotted Suci again. Find out how the young female is doing.
The PRM team was thrilled to encounter Suci three times in 2023 while enjoying her days in the Rangan Nongai area in Central Kalimantan. These encounters brought good news, as the rangers had not seen her for over a year. Their observations revealed that Suci was physically healthy and that she had successfully adjusted to life in the wild since her release in 2021.
The team first encountered Suci on the 12th of May when they saw her eating wild ginger piths (Etlingera triorgyalis), the cambium beneath tree bark, wild figs (Ficus sp.), and termites. Suci, known for being sociable and sharing food with other orangutans, ate the buffet solo this time. The observation began at 11 a.m. and concluded around 3 p.m., when a storm rolled in.
Suci is perfectly navigating daily life in her natural habitat.
Three days later, our PRM team spotted Suci again, about 50 metres from the Hiran River. She was eating the leaves of a pilang tree (Vachellia leucophloea). This time, the
observation went uninterrupted until 5 p.m. when Suci opted to build a nest in a wild fig tree some 15 metres away from her original spot.
The rangers saw Suci again two days later, far from where they had last seen her. The young orangutan spent the day feeding, starting with palm and Koompassia excelsa leaves and continuing to consume bamboo stalks. Next on the menu were termites out of a nest in some nearby decaying wood. Suci’s eating preferences demonstrated her ability to identify various natural food sources.
After her solitary feast, Suci decided to cool herself off in the river and rinse her body with leaves. This action surprised the team as Suci showed delight in her newfound hobby that was now part of her daily life.
We were thrilled to witness Suci’s remarkable resilience in navigating daily life in her natural habitat. While we may be living in a changing world, we will always need orangutans like Suci to help maintain the healthy ecological balance in their ecosystems.
