Recovering from the wound, Marisa was sent home to TANAGUPA
PRESS RELEASE
The West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) Regional Conservation Section I Ketapang together with the Gunung Palung National Park Center (TANAGUPA) and the Indonesian rehabilitation nature initiation Foundation (YIARI) released one individual orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Bukit Daun Sandar, perfect RPTN II, Gunung Palung National Park, Kecamatan Laur River, Ketapang Regency on Thursday (14/11).
This 6 – year-old female Orangutan was previously rescued from a case of human-orangutan conflict by a joint Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) team of the West Kalimantan BKSDA, Tanagupa and YIARI centers in one of the gardens owned by residents in Riam ASAP Village, Sukadana District, North Kayong Regency on July 10, 2024. Marisa was rescued after her mother was found dead in the residents ‘ garden. Based on the results of necropsy by YIARI’s medical team, the death of her mother is suspected to be caused by an infection due to a deep wound in her back. Meanwhile, Marisa was also found with severe injuries to her right leg. This wound is thought to have been caused by a sharp weapon.
Seeing Marisa’s condition, the West Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BKSDA) decided to send her to the YIARI Orangutan Rescue Center in Sungai Awan Kiri Village, Muara Pawan Sub-District, Ketapang Regency for further examination and treatment. After four months of intensive care under the supervision of a team of medical and veterinary nurses at the yiari orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Marisa was declared recovered and ready to be returned to her natural habitat.
Yiari’s medical team coordinator, Fina Fadiah, confirmed that Marisa’s wounds had healed and she could be immediately returned to her habitat. “Currently, Marisa’s wounds have healed and after a series of examinations, we believe it is time for Marisa to be returned to her habitat. When he was rescued, the wound on his leg was quite severe. There are open fractures that are already infected and festering. The wound on his right leg was also deep enough to penetrate into the muscles and bones. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of all the teams, now the wound has recovered and Marisa is ready to be sent back to TANAGUPA,” he explained. He also explains this recovery not only focused on the physical, but also with his psychic. “We take care of Marisa by keeping in mind the principles of animal welfare. We are working to reduce her stress by minimizing direct contact with Marisa,” added Fina.
To prevent a similar conflict from happening again, these orangutans were released into areas far from settlements and community gardens. TANAGUPA was chosen as the place of release because based on the location of the rescue point, Marisa is estimated to come from the area around the TANAGUPA border. In addition, Daung Sandar Resort is also considered quite good, because based on the results of a survey conducted by the TANAGUPA and YIARI halls, the amount and type of feed is still quite high. The Status of the area as a National Park also further guarantees Marisa’s safety in the future. This location is surrounded by a river which can be a natural barrier to prevent orangutans from returning to the community garden.
After traveling for 6 hours from the yiari Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, the team managed to reach the release point. Marisa was released in the TANAGUPA area. This success certainly cannot be separated from the support of the community who participated in helping to bring orangutans into the National Park area.
Chairman of YIARI, Silverius Oscar Unggul, expressed his appreciation for the collaboration between the government, Non-profit organizations (NGO), and the community in efforts to preserve orangutans and their habitat. Silverius stressed the importance of a shared role in maintaining this sustainability. “We invite all stakeholders, especially the community, to be at the forefront of wildlife conservation efforts, especially orangutans and their habitats. The discovery of orangutans in the community garden area is a reminder of the importance of strengthening cooperation, especially with communities living around orangutan habitat areas. If people who live on the border of orangutan habitat can live harmoniously side by side, orangutans can be preserved and enjoyed by future generations.”
“This is in line with YIARI’s vision to create a world where humans and animals coexist in a healthy ecosystem. This also supports the direction of the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, in his speech at the handover ceremony for the position of Minister of Forestry which emphasizes that we all have the spirit of how to maintain the balance of life with nature,” he concluded.
Himawan Sasongko, head of the TANAGUPA Center, said: ‘the release of this young orangutan is a new form of hope after losing its mother due to conflict with humans. We are committed to ensuring it can live independently in its natural habitat. And it is our shared responsibility to replace the role of the mother orangutan by ensuring the recovery of physical and psychological health and behavior in the Rehabilitation Center and then provide a place to live that can ensure its survival, but keep in mind that no matter how great and advanced our knowledge, we will never, ever again be able to replace mother in nature. Through this release, we hope the orangutans can rediscover a new life in their natural habitat and become a symbol of the importance of harmony between humans and Wildlife.’
About YIARI
Yayasan Initiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) is a non-profit organization engaged in the conservation of primates in Indonesia based on rescue, recovery, release, and post-release monitoring efforts. YIARI is also committed to provide protection of primates and their habitats with a holistic approach through multi-stakeholder cooperation to realize a harmonious ecosystem between habitats, animals, and humans.
For more information, please contact:
Yiari: +62 821-5346-2720 (Heribertus Suciadi, media and Communication Manager of YIARI)