WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
THE LAST STAND OF THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN
A nonchalant Megaloman, a rescued 18month old male orang utan orphan, plays and hones his climbing skills as he rehabilitates at the Sumatran Orangutan Quarantine Centre near Medan.
HOCRU (Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit) orangutan rescuer & field staff member, Rudi Irmawan (35yrs, in cap), cradles the head of an unconscious. mature, dominant male orang-utan as he minutely checks its teeth & jaws for signs of injury or illness, treating any wounds before loading him into a portable cage, ready to load and transport him back to the national park for release back to the wild in the next 24 hours.
The rescue crew wears surgical masks and gloves to prevent the risk of mutual transfer of harmful pathogens. Orangutans share 97% of human DNA and are, therefore, at great risk from diseases such as TB, hepatitis and herpes, to which they have little natural resistance.
The large dominant male orangutan has been reported crop raiding in a plantation near the village of Rukun Damee, Babahrot, southwest coast of Aceh Province (Sumatra) and is, therefore, at great risk of being killed or injured by irate villagers.
Despite the fact that it is illegal to harm an orangutan in Indonesia, the villagers have already killed at least two crop raiding orangs recently and, unless the orangutan is removed promptly from the area, it too is likely to meet a violent death.
Members of HOCRU (Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit) (L-R Rudi Irmawan (35yrs), Sembiring (34yrs) & Krisna (29yrs) [ & vet Ricko Lainojaya (31yrs) out of sight]) shoulder more than 100kg of steel and aluminium transport cage loaded with a restless adult male orangutan as they struggle through chest deep swamp and leeches to release the rescued orang back in the national park
Members of HOCRU (Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit) (L-R Rudi Irmawan (35yrs), Sembiring (34yrs) & Krisna (29yrs) [ & vet Ricko Lainojaya (31yrs) out of sight]) shoulder more than 100kg of steel and aluminium transport cage loaded with a restless adult male orangutan as they struggle through chest deep swamp and leeches to release the rescued orang back in the national park