Research and Conservation Team Up to Save Endangered Orangutans  

In 1971, a young woman, who was to eventually create an important scientific and conservation legacy, stepped out of a leaking wooden canoe after a day-long river journey and decided to establish camp. The patch of seasonally flooded swamp forest where she landed was the site of Camp Leakey, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas' long-term orangutan and forest research facility.

Long-term visitor Akmad with her healthy new infant.

Dr. Galdikas carried out her research in conditions unthinkable to most of today's scientists. Camp Leakey was isolated and rough. Galdikas and her then husband, Rod Brindamour, often ran out of basic supplies. The study area was swampy, often shoulder deep with water, and full of leeches and malarial mosquitoes. Gradually, Galdikas began to piece together the life of wild orangutans. She documented the highly arboreal nature of these animals, discovering that wild females spend up to 99% of their time in the trees. Dr. Galdikas and her associates also discovered that orangutans eat more than 400 different types of forest foods, and that mothers nurse their offspring for an average of six to seven years while females give birth on average every eight years. While initially Dr. Galdikas followed orangutans alone or with a single local assistant, over time Camp Leakey's ground-breaking science began attracting Indonesian and international students and researchers, as well as Earthwatch volunteers. Supported by local Dayak assistants, the ongoing activities in Camp Leakey and other sites in the national park produced hundreds of articles and theses. At least one hundred Indonesian students wrote their bachelor honor or Master's theses in biology utilizing data gathered during field work at the Camp Leakey study site.

But Camp Leakey was more than just a research site for wild orangutans. Galdikas and Brindamour also worked with the Forestry Department to confiscate and release wild born ex-captive orangutans. Many of these orangutans thrived and some of their descendants also live in the Camp Leakey forest.

Today OFI research assistants, who have grown up listening to stories of their parents' youth in Camp Leakey, continue to follow wild and rehabilitated orangutans whose names they have known from childhood, orangutans such as Tut, Princess, and Gara as well as their offspring such as Tom and Siswi. Dr. Galdikas's home, built in 1975 after her bark-walled hut disintegrated, still sits in the heart of Camp Leakey. She continues to follow orangutans, both wild and ex-captive, now into the third generation. Information collected includes social interactions, diet, and movement patterns. However, understanding orangutans is only possible within the broader context of their rainforest home, and so Dr. Galdikas and her team carry on the monitoring of forest tree communities within the study area in an uninterrupted 35-year study of diversity and growth. Local climatic conditions are also closely tracked to better understand broad patterns of change over time.

Camp Leakey is incredibly diverse, floristically.

Dr. Galdikas' pioneering work in rehabilitating orangutan orphans since 1971 broke ground for many other conservation projects, and became especially important when mass deforestation in Borneo caused thousands of babies to lose their mothers and rely on human concern to give them a second chance at life. In addition, the long-term ecological monitoring work within the Camp Leakey study area is especially important now as it will allow us to make connections between global climate change patterns and local effects on forest, wildlife, and forest-dependent indigenous communities.

Collaborative research at Camp Leakey brings diverse skill sets together.

Janie Dubman

Editor

 In this Issue

• Orangutan of the Month: Lia    

• Events Recap

• News from the Field: Success with Sun Bears 

• Jungle Corner: Irrawaddy Dolphin 

• Conservation Partners: YOU! Double Your Impact!

• External Link: How Killing Machines Save Endangered Wildlife

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Orangutan 

of the Month: Lia   

 Naughty, adorable Lia gets tricked into getting her bath AND helping clean  house!   

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OFI Holds 5th Annual 

5K Run for Survival  

More than 250 runners took to the streets of LA on a beautiful Sunday morning in mid-September to help raise awareness about OFI's work to save the endangered orangutans of Borneo. Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas offered her heartfelt thanks to the crowd and shared insight into how we all can help support OFI's mission. 

Many thanks to our runners, walkers, volunteers, and spectators for making this day a success!

Race Photos HERE 

Weekend of New Jersey Events Raises Funds to Support Orangutans

Dr. Galdikas delivered a passionate speech about "Endangered Orangutans and Disappearing Rainforest in Borneo" to a standing-room-only crowd at R. Stockton College, then shared news and stories of her conservation work with friends and supporters at two special fundraising events during a busy September weekend in New Jersey. Many thanks to all who made this special weekend possible!