Being honest, Tanjung Putting National Park is the biggest
tourist trap in Indonesian Borneo. And of course those who know me well will
appreciate such places aren’t my favourite to visit. But it can’t take away how
special the place is, how good a job the staff and scientists have done in
rehabilitating and caring for so many Orang-utans. The park itself is pretty
special, with abundant wildlife and seemingly pristine natural habitat it’s
clear to see just why it’s so popular. Unfortunately 65% of the primary forest
is classified as degraded, not that the casual eye would consider it so. I try
to imagine what it would have been like before, the best I can do is appreciate
how good it still is in comparison with most of Kalimantan. It’s some of the
best that’s left, which is a shame if you consider how widespread Borneo’s rain
forest used to. But cruising through tranquil waterways, without a soul in
sight, such thoughts were far from my mind. (Photo: Still waters, peaceful days - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
Kumai is the nearest town, it’s the gateway to the park.
Access is by boat only, and the two storey tourist cruisers are clustered at
various points along the town’s waterfront. There’s a huge variety, from small
vessels for a couple of people, to behemoths for large groups. My timing was
perfect, it’s low season and few people are around. In high season there are
literally dozens of boats out, quiet spots are hard to find and feeding
stations are incredibly crowded. I was quoted as high as sixty boats at any one
time. From photos the crowds are dense, people jostle for a decent view of an
Orang-utan. So I was lucky, the most tourists at any feeding station was a mere
dozen. Combined with their guides it made for plenty enough people, who made
plenty enough noise. I must say it wasn’t the tourists making the noise,
unfortunately it was their guides. Why they had to join in imitating the calls
of the ranger is beyond me. It was more though, shouting random noises and
laughing amongst themselves showed nothing but contempt for what should have
been a special moment. I should feel lucky, there were no other complaints, the
trip was special, and I enjoyed it immensely. 
(Photo: A cluster of pitcher plants, the bright coloured lips attract insects - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
It took little time to leave the wide river and it’s heavy
commercial traffic. Within half an hour we entered a smaller tributary, thick
stands of nipa palms lined the water’s edge, at first they dominated the
scenery. We weren’t instantly swallowed between looming hardwood giants, but it
was quiet, peaceful. Small clumps of water lilies were the only debris evident,
though murky the water was clear of human detritus. Apart from the gentle
throbbing of our engine we could hear only birdcalls, or the droning of
insects. Our skipper made no effort to hurry, we had plenty of time to sit back
and soak in the scene, which gradually unfolded before us, reeling us deeper
into the realms of tree lined banks. The promise of wildlife increased as the
habitat became more varied, it was hard not to stare longingly into the trees,
sure that some delightful creature was hiding behind every leaf and bough. They
probably were, insects are the most abundant life after all.
(Photo: A young proboscis monkey - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
But it was of course larger targets we were all hoping for,
and it didn’t take long for them to appear. Crashing sounds and intense
movement in thick foliage is generally an indicator of proboscis monkeys. No
sooner had we seen the tell tale signs when we had our first sighting, a mixed
troupe of long-nosed proboscis were spread over a wide area back in the trees.
Our presence did create some reaction, but it wasn’t panic, they made to effort
to scatter. Initially they simply turned their backs to us, or sat behind
branches thinking they were out of sight. Like young children they seem to
think if they can’t see you, then you can’t see them. The engines were cut, we
stood and gaped, marvelling at how used to humans they were. With boats
cruising the park all year they must be used to the traffic, confident there is
no danger. It makes for good viewing, they settle down and continue as normal,
ignoring us completely.
(Photo: Mature female proboscis - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
Males and females are easily discernable. It’s the males who
have the really large noses, not that you’d call the female’s nose small, but
the difference is unmistakable. This troupe had loads of young among them, even
from a tender age they move around the immediate area independently. I believe
the mother will carry them as they move around the forest, but at rest they’re
free to discover the world for themselves. The very young are scrawny, with
very little fur, gangly and googly eyed. Their movement through the canopy is
not as frantic or reckless as their elders, they tend to actually climb around
rather than throw themselves across great distances, to crash haphazardly into
a clump of leaves. But they quickly gain confidence, well before adulthood they
leap far out between trees, literally crashing into a dense patch of foliage
and grabbing whatever is at hand once they get there. (Photo: Mating pair of storks - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
(Photo: Our first orang-utan sighting, mother with infant - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
As they get older their coat thickens and turns a deep
chestnut over their head and backs. Their noses, already notably pointed,
thickens and protrudes further upwards on the females. Whereas the male’s grows
ponderous, hanging low and bulbous down their faces. Though the males look a
bit freakish due to their nasal protuberances, the rich coloration and
thickness of their coats is outstanding. The size difference is considerable
too, the dominant males grow barrel like, sporting well-developed potbellies. They
also have permanent erections, and are all too ready to put them to good use.
When one male started mating a bustle of activity burst out around him, other
females darting every which way, youngsters jumping around, seemingly eager to
get a good look at the proceedings. Apart from mating the dominant male appears
sloth like, sitting lazily in the crook of a tree, surveying his troupe, maybe
keeping an eye out for intruders. (Photo: Wonderful comes in all shapes and sizes, tree frog - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
At night the troupe gathers closer, usually choosing one of the taller trees with quite sparse cover. I assume this is for safety, the higher they are the harder for predators to reach them. The sparseness of cover makes those same predators easier to spot. They look so precariously balanced it’s a wonder they don’t fall as they sleep. We witnessed one take a tumble, screeching as it went, though I think that was mainly due to a squabble. Orang-utans make completely different arrangements, they build a nest. Every night they build a fresh nest, similar to the proboscis it seems to be as high as they can make it, it’s often quite open as well. Time and again we spotted the nests while cruising along, they aren’t hard to spot during daylight hours, though I imagine they’re quite difficult to discern when it’s dark. As they’re generally solitary animals you rarely see more than one at a time. Their technique must be pretty good, they need to be to support the weight of an adult Orang-utan. The skill of constructing a nest is taught by the mother, just one of the many lessons passed on during their prolonged period of raising their young. (Photo: Funky gibbon, unusually courageous to allow us so close - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
(Photo: Mario, still quite young but a handsome beast - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
For eight years a mother will bring up her offspring, even
then she retains a special relationship with them. Older children will often
accompany her, even after she’s in the throws of raising another infant. I’d go
as far to say she teaches her young more useful skills than the average human
parent. Diet is important, she teaches which foods are edible, which are
poisonous and should be avoided. Her offspring even learn the medicinal quality
of plants, where to find which plants for various ailments. She helps the
infant map the forest, learn how best to obtain food, which for semi-wild
animals can mean stealing off tourist boats. At the second feeding station we
visited the orang-utans failed to show up at the platform where they’re fed.
Instead three of them, a mother, son and amorous young male, made for the
boats. Not that I was complaining, I’d returned early because of the behaviour
of the guides. And it worked in my favour. (Photo: Carlos, Muthi's growing son - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
(Photo: Mario and Muthi, she's checking out succulent water plants, he's checking her out - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
I got to spend time at very close quarters, not that I
approached any of them, but stood my ground as they passed close to me.
Actually the following day I got unexpectedly closer than was comfortable.
Mustrani, the dominant male in one area, made a sudden rush in my direction.
Christ I moved fast, getting to my feet and moving my camera out of his way, by
which time someone advised me to stay put. What I’d not seen was the ranger
coming out the office with a bowl of milk. When Mustrani had looked me in the
eye and made a rush, it wasn’t for me, it was for some milk. So I ended up
standing over him as he drank his bowl of milk, a situation both of us were a
touch cautious about. Every few slurps he’d turn round to look at me. I didn’t
move, it was awesome to be so close to him, but I didn’t want to push my luck
or give him cause to object. I think his only concern was over the milk,
checking to make sure I wasn’t after any myself. Cheekily I gave my guide the
camera and asked her to take a photo. It looks strange, slightly set up, and
more than a little disrespectful of a wild animal. Believe though, being fully
aware that he could have turned and snapped me into ‘ikkle pieces at any time,
I had great respect for his forbearance.
(Photo: Muthi, playing for pity, just before an outright raid on the boats - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
In total I saw six orang-utans, stood right next to two of them, Muthi in passing and Mustrani for quite a while. I’d like to have seen Tom, the biggest of the parks dominant males. Mustrani was quite small for a dominant male, he was only young but I can only assume very aggressive when riled. In his fight for dominance he lost his right thumb, and has two crippled fingers. The one on his right hand, the middle finger, won’t bend. When he walked away holding up his right arm, the middle finger extended, you’d have sworn he was flicking us a, ‘f*** you,’ sign. Shame I didn’t have my camera at the ready. The most timid of the animals we saw was the mother with a fairly young child, she climbed down, took a bunch of bananas and climbed back up the tree again to eat them. It couldn’t have helped with the amount of noise being made, if they’d not have been semi-wild we’d not have seen them at all. Mario, the amorous male, was the most impressive. Though he’s not dominant he’s a brute, absolutely huge, and he knows it. His face has a calm countenance, he’s confident, self-assured. When fully grown he’ll be immense, he’s only just beginning to grow cheek pads, which are a sign of maturity. Already he’s much bigger than Mustrani, but from a different area of forest, other wise I feel sure he’d have assumed dominance already. (Photo: Sunset in the National Park - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
These orang-utans are luckier than most, they have a large
area of protected forest to keep them safe. But space is running out, newly rehabilitated
animals must be shipped out to another area. Problems begin again for many, in
areas that coincide with commercial concerns they just aren’t safe. Palm Oil
plantation workers are notorious for persecuting them, I don’t quite understand
exactly why. Considering how readily the one’s I saw will use humans as a means
to obtain food it could easily be that rehabilitation has been their downfall,
yet I find this hard to believe. Before the hospital/rehabilitation centre was founded, there was nowhere to place confiscated animals. Laws put in place to protect them from being taken as domesticated pets were unenforceable. The force behind the work on orang-utans here is Dr, Birute Galdikas, who has become the worlds foremost expert on orang-utans. Apparently even now, when she visits, the Rangers merely shout into forest that Ibud (mother) is coming and the Orang-utans arrive back in droves. For most rehabilitated animals she provided their
main chance to survive in the wild, who would wish to deprive them of such a
chance. I know they’re cute, many of us have a soft spot for them, but they do
belong in the wild. The burning question is, how much of the wild will there be
left for them? World wide people are becoming aware of the plight of the Borneo rainforest, but corruption in Indonesia means the palm oil plantations are still expanding, and orang-utans still dying unnecessarily. 
My cruise was brilliant, I saw countless proboscis monkeys,
plenty of long-tailed macaques, storks, kingfishers, eagles, and a host of wee
beasties on a night trek. Food on the boat was fantastic, I’ve haven’t eaten as
much since leaving home. The boat itself wasn’t the best around, nor was it the
cheapest. I shared with two others, a German traveller and a guy from Jakarta.
Both Martin and Obath proved to be pleasant company. Considering I was looking
forward to my own private cruise it went much better than expected. Rarely did
we encounter anyone else while we cruised round the park, if we did it was
briefly. Our captain seemed to understand that we wished to putter along and
have time to appreciate our surroundings. The crew knew just what to do and
when it would cause us least inconvenience. Our guide was informative, fun and
cared about the environment. Was it worth the effort? Damned right it was! Was
it worth the money? I do think it was overpriced, but not extortionate. (Photo: Mustrani returning into the forest, thirst for milk slaked - Tanjung Putting, South Kalimantan)
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