Say hello to Orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park

Helloindonesia.id – Tanjung Puting, a national park located in the province of Central Kalimantan is referred to as the orangutan capital in the world. Aside from being an orangutan rehabilitation center in Indonesia, its vast area which includes the Kumai District in West Kotawaringin Regency and Hanau District and the Seruyan Hilir District in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan Province makes Tanjung Puting a home of various types of flora and fauna unique to Indonesia. Tanjung Puting was once a nature reserve and was formalized as a national park in 1982.

Tanjung Puting is the right destination for people who love outdoor adventure. There are several ecosystems in Tanjung Puting National Park including mangrove forests, freshwater swamp forests, coastal forests, and lowland tropical forests. Orangutans are certainly the main prima donna of Tanjung Puting National Park. But what must always be remembered is that Tanjung Putting is a national park and the animal inhabitants including the belle of the orangutan are not an attraction that is presented to entertain visitors. Camp Leakey is an orangutan rehabilitation center in Tanjung Puting which was established by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and former partner Rob Bridamour. Dr. Galdikas gave the name Leakey which is the name of his mentor Robert Leakey, a Kenyan anthropologist. Dr. Galdikas and his colleagues also established the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) organization in 1986 to raise international awareness of orangutans.

The orangutan breeding cycle that runs every eight years is one reason for the small population of these primates. Camp Leakey besides being a rehabilitation center is also a research center for research related to orangutans and ecosystems in Tanjung Puting such as research on sign language used by orangutans and river ecological systems in the Tanjung Puting area. The visitors themselves are not allowed to spend the night at Camp Leakey because it is feared that it could disrupt the research process.

For people who have had the opportunity to visit Tanjung Puting, this national park is said to have its own charm that seems to bewitch visitors to linger in this area. The view of the sky filled with stars at night and the natural sounds produced by animals from the forest, are the decoration of the days of visitors to the national park. Not only as a visitor, OFI also offers volunteer programs for those of you who want to help directly protect the lives of orangutans. If you want to participate as a volunteer for OFI at the Tanjung Puting rehabilitation center, you can access information at https://orangutan.org/take-action/volunteer/.

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