Depuis plus de 20 ans, Chanee a appris à observer les animaux, à décrypter leur façon de se déplacer, de se nourrir, à comprendre leurs habitudes pour dormir ou se protéger. Au fil des années, il a même développé une forme de mimétisme avec certaines espèces. Vous découvrirez comment s’organise leur vie à Bornéo et comment fonctionne la fondation « Kalaweit » qu’il a créée il y a près de 20 ans. Le siège de la fondation est en ville mais la clinique et les volières où sont gardés les singes sont situées à 6 heures de route et une heure de bateau. Un vrai périple pour Chanee qui s’y rend très fréquemment en 4×4 et en pirogue.
00:00 Mission Kalaweit
25:11 L’homme animal
49:49 Bornéo, l’île aux singes
01:13:34 Menace sur la forêt
01:38:57 Gibbon, mon frère
02:04:11 Mission Sumatra
02:28:58 Ami des ours
02:54:12 Animaux et hommes
Réalisateur : YOHANN THIIRET
My name is Chani, I was born in the south of France. Since I was a kid, I am passionate about animals, and in particular by gibbons. After a trip to Asia, I decided to leave everything, to come and settle here, on the island of Borneo.
I created the Kalaweit Foundation which helps endangered species. We built sanctuaries to collect and care for them. Between camp life and our missions rescue, there is never a dull moment in Kalaweit. So come with me, I’m taking you to follow my adventures.
I will show you the 2 places where I spend the most time in Borneo. The town of Palangkaraya where I live with my family, and the conservation center Pararawen gibbons, located near the town of Muratov. I was born and raised in the south of France, very close to a zoo.
I went there every Wednesday to observe animals. At the time, my name was Aurélien. One day, when I was 12, I met Wachau, a female gibbon there. She was alone and seemed sad to me. I wanted to understand why and I knew from that moment,
That I wanted to dedicate my life to this species. Then everything happened very quickly. Unlike chimpanzees, to gorillas and orangutans, gibbons had been studied very little. I wrote my first book at 16, and one of my texts was published by a scientific journal. The journalists started to write articles about me.
For everyone, I had become a gibbon specialist and my life was launched. But at that time I didn’t know yet that it would take place far from France, on the island of Borneo. I was 18 the first time I came to Asia, it was in Thailand.
During the 3 months of my stay, I saw gibbons in the wild for the first time. During the return flight to Paris, the hostess gave me some newspapers, and one of the titles was that Indonesia had lost, 2 million hectares of forests because of the fires. It is at this precise moment,
While my plane was just landing in Paris, that I told myself that my real destination was Indonesia. It was during my stay in Thailand that people started calling me Chanī. It means Gibbons in Thai. Arriving in Borneo, I decided to keep this first name.
On the island, I immediately saw that the situation was worrying. Many gibbons were dying due to deforestation, and the youngest were captured by poachers and sold to individuals. I decided to create the Kalaweit Foundation. It also means Gibbons, but this time in the language of the Dayak peoples, the first occupants of Borneo.
It was hard at first, but now the foundation has thousands of donors. Kalaweit headquarters is in Palangkaraya and we even created a radio station. – Hi how are you ? – Yes, I’m fine. – There, we are at Radio Kalaweit, which we launched in 2003.
The aim is to involve the younger generation in saving animals, and make her participate to the activities of the Foundation. Most of the animals we have recovered were found thanks to our listeners. It helps us both save animals and to speak to the public about illegal detentions.
We also try to entertain people because the conservation of species, It doesn’t have to be a boring subject. We also have to have fun. That’s the spirit of radio. We open the antenna. Let’s go! Welcome to 99.1 FM radio The best music to live by. Hi ! You find the usual trio.
With Boya and Chani. And as always on 99.1, you will hear good sound. But if you care wild animals, you can call our hotline so that we can help them. – It’s clear ! Stay tuned with us from 99.1 Radio Kalaweit. If the Kalaweit offices are in town,
The gibbon conservation center that we created is further north, in the Pararawen forest. And to get there, it’s a real journey. It takes 6 hours to drive via Buntok before arriving in the town of Muara Teweh. From there, it remains 1 hour by boat on the Barito river to reach the center.
Generally, I find members of the team before boarding. It’s Nanto, the center manager and Carlos, an employee, who came to pick me up. – How long have you been waiting? – It’s been about an hour. – Is the boat there? – Yes, he’s over there.
– We finally arrived in Kalaweit. It’s 7:30 p.m. I’m really exhausted. When we get to camp, I will finally be able to rest. Here, everything is done to that the animals feel at home. Food is delivered directly from the city. For gibbons, the diet is made up of 80% fruit,
So you need a lot of it. We are now inside the center. We wear masks because primates, especially gibbons, can be infected by human diseases. A simple cold can kill a gibbon, so we are very careful. Here, we house 141 gibbons, crocodiles, bears. We’ve been here for 3 years.
The center was on a field which did not belong to us, whereas here, it’s ours. We can build shelters, aviaries and collect more animals. Opposite Kalaweit, there is also a reservation, where there are still gibbons in the wild and bears. So, we work with the department forests to protect the reserve,
And ensure that wild species are not threatened by men. The camp covers 8 hectares. We built some buildings in the middle of the forest, for welcoming staff and food storage. We also created a clinic and a nursery where 3 veterinarians work full time. Life in the camp is not easy.
Today one of the veterinarians just realized, that a female gibbon came to escape from his aviary. – Be careful, Donna has escaped from the cage. Be careful and warn others, she usually attacks him. Also go check the cage. If there is a hole, it must be closed immediately.
– Be careful, a gibbon has escaped, he can attack. And there is a real risk that she enters the crocodile enclosure. But the biggest risk would be that she attacks another gibbon, Over there are Howie and Dodon. It’s another couple. And as gibbons are monogamous, faithful, they don’t like other gibbons.
They could attack each other through the fence and bite each other. We need to capture her as quickly as possible. Dona, normally to catch it, Are you trapping her or anesthetizing her? – If she doesn’t stay far from the cage, you can trap it with food. – All right… Where are you there?
– We’ll get the gun just in case. – All right. Burbo prepares his rifle and anesthetic arrows, in case donna refuses to return to his cage. – It’s okay, I’m ready. As there is no water, she went towards the crocodile’s enclosure. You saw ? She looks at him.
You found the hole in Donna’s cage? – We have to be very careful because even with a hole as small as that, a gibbon can escape. All he has to do is pop his head and then he manages to get out and climb the cage.
There, the hole must be small because the male is still inside. – Look, she must have come out this way. The wires were completely relaxed. As a result, the fasteners broke. They really needed to be repaired. Come on, go away. That is the problem. The wire is rusty.
The aviaries we are building now are of better quality, but they also cost us much more expensive. It’s a real investment for the Foundation every time. Donna seems to want get closer to his aviary. To avoid having to shoot him on it with an anesthetic arrow,
We will try to attract it to us. Near each aviary there is a quarantine cage, used when an animal is sick. So we decide to open the door for him. We’ll put some bait inside, we’re going to hide and if she comes back, we run to close the door. Now we are withdrawing.
We put fruit and we hope she will enter. We have to be careful because she might attack us. Be careful, she’s getting closer. At my side, Purbo stands ready. If Donna refuses to enter her cage, we will then no longer have a choice.
You will have to shoot the animal to put it to sleep. – If we come closer, Do you think she’s going to run away? – We can try, but she’s sure his guards, it’s not going to be easy. Donna slowly approaches the cage. She seems attracted to fruit,
And she is no longer just a few meters from the entrance. She finally enters the cage. We have to act quickly before she comes out. – Great ! Gibbons are monogamous. Wild, they still live as a couple. This is one of the keys to their survival,
And that’s how that they protect their territory. Every morning, they sing a duet. This is why they must always be two people. Throughout their lives, they will stay faithful to the same partner. In Kalaweit, our first job, it’s about forming couples. And Donna, for example, it’s a pretty strong couple,
But we have not yet found a forest to release them. So in fact, they still depend on us. Each pair of gibbons shares a diamond-shaped aviary, to a height of 6 meters. It gives them plenty of space. to move around and have fun.
Unfortunately, some gibbons refuse to form a couple. This is the case with Eddie. He has been in Kalaweit for a long time, but for two reasons he can’t adapt. First, he contracted a human disease. And secondly, as he remained too long with men, he has difficulty accepting to live with a female.
That’s the problem with gibbons who have spent 7 or 8 years with humans. In fact, they think they’re one of us. And when they get here and they see other gibbons, he sees them as a threat, not like friends. Their friends, for them, are men. So that’s what disturbs them.
There is a real problem of identity. The gibbons that have been since a long time in Kalaweit, should all be in a relationship in a large aviary. But there are some males like Eddie who will have to spend their entire lives alone. They also behave like that with humans.
There, he’s nice, but if I go back in his cage, at a given moment, he will make me understand that I’m not his friend. On the one hand, there is his instinct which pushes him towards a desire for independence, and move away from humans.
But on the other hand, he doesn’t feel safe with other gibbons. It’s very disturbing for him. And that’s because of the poachers who killed his mother ten years ago. And who sold it to people like a simple pet,
When it was a gibbon that should have stayed in the forest like all wild animals. Are you okay, are you there? It is unique, there are very few gibbons who have a white spot on their chest. That’s why Eddie is a very special gibbon. I’ll leave you okay.
With more than 140 residents, it happens always something in the center. After Donna escapes, Purbo this time rescued another female, Strada, who was injured. – What does she have ? – She broke her leg. – Come on, let’s put on the masks!
– What does she have ? – I think she broke her leg. – She must have fallen into the cage. – It’s probably because the cage is covered with moss. She had to play in her cage and she had to go a little hard and she must have slipped.
– It takes time, right? In Kalaweit, gibbons like her are put first in groups when they are still young. During this period, they learn looking at the other gibbons, but they play a little rough and unfortunately, we often have fractures. In nature, they sometimes fall too and they sometimes break something.
There is a study that showed that many wild gibbons had broken bones. What worries us, it’s not so much the injury, but rather medical treatment that must be put in place to treat it. Because during this time, the animal must be separated from other gibbons.
We have to put it in a cage to provide him with care. And the stress linked to treatment is a real risk, especially with animals like that. Additionally, Strada was infected with hepatitis B. She was also infected by man when she was held captive.
His chances of returning to live in the forest in the wild are minimal, but we have to continue to take care of her and try to give him a proper life. – Had she already eaten or not? – No, she kept playing.
– The problem in Kalaweit, is that we try to help animals, but we have very limited means separately. What we need is that we can make x-rays, to see exactly where is the fracture, instead of trying to detect it by hand.
In fact, it is necessary to check whether the fracture is clear or complex. But hey, fortunately, Purbo has a lot of experience. Once he even treated a bear that had broken its paw. Strada will have to spend a few weeks to the clinic while waiting for the bone to heal.
But thanks to Purbo’s care, she will be able to climb trees without problem. I generally spend around ten days at the camp each of my stays, before returning to Palangkaraya. That’s where I live with Prada, my wife and our two boys, Enzo and Andrew.
As I am often absent because of the Foundation’s missions, I try to spend as much time as possible with my sons when I am there. Today we are installed in a house near the city, but it wasn’t always like that. The first years were very difficult.
We lived on the river, on board a small boat, and as some did not appreciate that a young Frenchman, come and take care of wild animals at For them, the situation was sometimes delicate. – Before, it was there that we had put our boat,
Just between the house and the small canoe. It was in 2006. We had a very small boat and it was everything we had. We lived in it. So when Chani wasn’t there, I stayed all alone on the boat with the children. People believed that we had just to have a picnic,
But in fact, it was our house. It was a really difficult time. It’s much better, fortunately. He has a big responsibility here. And there are risks that come with it. His job is to protect the forest and a lot of people don’t like it. As the mother of her two sons,
Of course I’m scared sometimes of what can happen to us. Every time, I tell the children: You don’t leave without mom or dad, you don’t follow anyone else. I taught them that a long time ago. Since my sons were little, I try to convey to them my love of animals.
I teach them to take care of it and to know them better. – I’m not afraid. I was scared only once. That’s when daddy put a snake on a branch, a very large python. And then the snake jumped on daddy’s face.
And then Dad started running and the snake dove into the water and left. – We have to be careful, Andrew. There you go, you throw it like that. This snake is not venomous, but children must learn, whether venomous or not, they must always be careful.
You have to know how to live with them, they must not be disturbed. And you have to avoid getting bitten too. For them, accompany me to take care animals, this is completely normal. They don’t realize they have a life a little different from that of other children,
Who play and who have other habits. What I’m trying to do is mainly to guide them correctly. When they see people who love animals wild, but not in a good way. I try to make them understand. Loving a wild animal means let him live in nature. It seems simple, but for a child,
It is a concept which is not always easy to understand. As we are small, we find them cute, we want to have them at home, we want to caress them, we want to touch them, while you have to keep your distance and let them go free.
It is not easy for children to have this reflex. But if I don’t succeed to make my children understand that, how could I make others understand it? – I am his wife, I support him in everything he does, and with my sons, we are very proud of him.
He did so much for others, That’s what’s important. It’s been 15 years now that I live here. Indonesia has become my country. With my wife, my sons and all people who work in Kalaweit, we are all mobilized around our mission. Since we created the Foundation, we have already saved hundreds of animals.
But there is still so much to do. New aviaries must be built, buy medical devices for the clinic. Our fight has only just begun. The Barito then we go back up the Lemo River for approximately 20 kilometers. After years of awareness among the inhabitants of Borneo,
Kalaweit’s actions are now known throughout the island. The Foundation was created to protect gibbons, but we are regularly requested to come and rescue species of all kinds. If I go to Teluk Lihat village, it’s because someone informed us of the presence of a bird of prey kept in a private home.
– Good morning. How are you ? – I’m doing well. The inhabitants of villages located the interior of the island are called the Dayaks. They have lived here for millennia. Me who doesn’t live in Borneo that for 14 years, I never reach conquered territory.
On each of my visits, I spend time with them to learn their culture, and understand what issues they are faced. – It’s funny, it’s always like that in the villages, whether it was 14 years ago, when I arrived in Indonesia or today, people are always very open, very welcoming.
This is also what made me fall in love with Borneo. I know that wherever the place where I’m going, even if it’s a very small village deep in the island, I will always be accepted. I’m welcome. It’s really really nice. Here, the inhabitants cultivate their own land,
And exploit the forest which surrounds the village, but their resources are very limited. Raptors represent a real threat for them. They attack their chickens. So the villagers fight back. That’s what happened for the bird I came to look for. The man who captured him shot him with a gun,
And seriously injured his wing. At first contact that I had with him by radio, the man recognized that the animal needed help. We agreed so that he would give me the animal. – Hello Sir. – Good morning.
Not being a raptor specialist, I do not I don’t yet know what species we are dealing with. What is certain is that the bird looks very weakened. Transport it to the Kalaweit center is a risk we must take, if we want to have a chance of saving him.
We should cover him with clothes. – What if we don’t find any? – We’ll just take a sheet. During the trip, we must cover the cage to keep him in the dark. Birds are very sensitive to stress and they need darkness.
If he doesn’t see what’s going on around him, he will feel more secure. There, we will go directly to the boat, we cover it and leave. I hope he makes it to camp alive. It’s always the same thing in this kind of case.
I am both happy to have been able to save an animal, but also worried because there are chances that he does not survive. On the way back, I warn radio the camp of the imminent arrival of the raptor. Everything must be ready to try to save his life. – There’s the eagle.
He was captured 5 days ago. There are marks on the left side and the right side. That’s because they tied him up. The bird is quite calm, it’s strange. Usually, the wild animals that come just being captured are very agitated. He should rebel in his cage. It is not a good sign.
If he is so calm, it means surely say that it is very weak. Normally this is not its nature to be like that. But now he doesn’t have enough energy to defend. According to the information, he’s been giving it to her for 5 days rice while in the wild,
It is a predator that feeds small animals. He needs meat. Look there, we see the trace of the rifle bullet that hit him. No, it’s not that one. It looks more like this. It looks like a black kite. This is a new species for Kalaweit.
We have already collected raptors here, but not ones like that. The only solution now is to put it in a quiet place, and watch how he behaves. It is possible that once alone, he starts eating again. After that, we’ll look what’s wrong with his wing. He’s stressed because he’s been tied up.
Let’s just try to put it inside, cover it for a few hours, and once he calms down, we will try to treat him. After letting several hours pass, Purbo goes to check the cage. But unfortunately, the animal did not survive. If we could have recovered it right after he was captured…
Unfortunately, he stayed there 5 days. It’s like that. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t. The eagle only stayed for 2 hours in Kalaweit before dying, while he remained 5 to 6 days in a cage. Perhaps during all his captivity, he didn’t eat. He was in a place with lots of people around.
It must have generated stress. Not to mention his wing injury. We arrived too late… If only we could have arrived just after his capture by the villagers, it’s sure, his chances of survival would have been better. Now it’s sure, we can’t do anything anymore.
In Kalaweit, we have for rule not to bury animals. We therefore cremate the bird in silence. – We get really frustrated when we try to save an animal and we can’t do it. But you also have to be realistic. Given his condition, I believe it was really impossible for us to save him.
Yet we did everything, we tried everything, we put all our strength into it. But sometimes, that’s just not possible. It’s like that… We have to accept it. We failed to save this raptor, But in Kalaweit, failures should not stop us. Every day we must be ready,
To intervene wherever animals need from U.S. Whatever the species. In the center, in addition to the 140 gibbons who live in aviaries, we have already collected many monkeys like proboscis for example. We also have around ten bears, snakes and even false gharials, a species of crocodile.
Recently, we had to arrange a dedicated area for them, with adapted basins. One of our objectives is also to help them reproduce in captivity. Obviously, with this kind of animal, it is better to take a few precautions before intervening. – Now it’s secure. The crocodile is in the water.
Our plan for Namtou and me, it is to undo this pile. In fact, this pile is a nest. And the goal in Kalaweit is to let crocodiles breed, and then release little ones in nature. We cannot release the adults because that they are too used to man,
And they might return in conflict with the villagers. This is the first nest that we did, And he’s been like this for two months, so it doesn’t seem to work. With Namtou, we will try to understand why eggs fail to hatch. Lets’ go ! The crocodile looks calm.
There you go, those are the eggs. The false gharial is a species freshwater crocodile. It’s really a species highly endangered in Borneo. The crocodiles we have here in Kalaweit come from lots of different regions, but most of them were detained illegally in people’s homes.
We cannot release them, but on the other hand, if they reproduce, we can release the little ones, and they will be able to grow in the wild. So it’s a shame that it didn’t work. If they could not hatch, it is probably due to the temperature of the nest.
It is made of earth and leaves who come from around the pond. This is a lesson for us. We are, above all, specialists gibbons, not crocodiles. So what we’re going to do, it’s building an incubator, to be sure that the next eggs will hatch,
And which we can then release little ones in nature. There is still good news with these eggs, this proves that the crocodiles are coming to breed in captivity. That the relationship between male and female is going well in the pool.
But around water they don’t have what it takes to make their nest properly. In fact, the temperature must inside the nest be the good one, so that the egg can hatch. If these crocodiles are threatened with extinction, it’s before all because their habitat has been destroyed.
Deforestation affects rivers and are no longer suitable for them. As there are no more trees near the rivers, there are no more birds and much fewer fish. And he is a predator, so it needs prey. And there, they have nothing left to eat. Our experience with the crocodiles housed at the camp,
Made Kalaweit the interlocutor privileged by the forest department, when a new case of capture arises. This morning, I was called to intervene on a confiscated animal, to an individual by the government. The reptile hides at the bottom of this pool. My goal is to capture it using a rope,
And release it into the wild. I am accompanied by my son Andrew and a member of the forestry department. They will both help me in the operation. As the animal seems not to want to show itself, we are obliged to pump the water from the basin.
After a few minutes, the animal’s back appears through the water surface. Its double crest is characteristic of the species of marine crocodiles. We find mainly in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The water level has dropped considerably. My goal is to pass the upper jaw of the crocodile, through the noose of my rope,
And squeeze to attract him to me. The operation is quite delicate. – Today, It’s a big day for this crocodile. We have an appointment at 1 a.m. in the afternoon with the seaplane, he will be released to the south of the island, in the mangroves. He will find freedom.
Direction the seaplane now, he will take us to the release area. We fly over the Kapuas River and after 20 minutes of flight, we arrive above from an area known to host, marine crocodiles in the wild. After several years of captivity, it’s time to give back finally his freedom to the animal.
Mission accomplished for Andrew and me. We return to camp knowing that the images of this crocodile release, will remain forever engraved in our memories. Whether small, big, reptile, insect or mammal, there are no animals which doesn’t make me want to help him. My next rescue will also concern a species,
Unaccustomed to receiving the help of men, the tarantula. We are heading towards a cultivated area by the Dayaks of the region. – Here, we are very close to the Kalaweit camp. We come before they plant the rice to catch and move tarantulas,
Who are on the plot, otherwise they will be killed during planting. Here, it was a rubber forest. The trees were cut down and now it has become a rice field. And once they have harvested the rice, they will replant rubber trees. And it’s been like this forever. – Here, look.
This is a tarantula nest, but it is empty. If there was one in there, there would be a canvas. In fact, at the time where she has her young in the burrow, the tarantula closes it with its web, to prevent another tarantula or a predator enters. Did you find one?
There is a canvas. Where ? She must be big. We see it with the diameter of the hole and all the webs there are. The others have already left, but she stayed. It must be 50 or 60 cm underground.
We’ll dig here to get it and we’ll go release her in another, more secure location. Because otherwise, here, at the moment planting rice, its nest will be destroyed. But you have to take a lot of precautions so as not to risk harming him. It shall really not touching her in her hole.
Here’s a pretty spider. Look at his canines, they can do almost a centimeter. You have to hold it carefully. If we don’t disturb her, she doesn’t bother us. In fact, she is more active at night. She comes out of her hole and goes hunting.
She is only waiting for a beast or an insect gets caught in its web, she hunts. She really hunts its prey like a predator. You can almost compare it to a mammal. In Borneo, Dayaks cut their canine teeth and give it to the children to play with.
Afterwards, they eat it. Have you ever eaten it? – Non, it is not OK ! – Yes that’s it. It’s just that you don’t want to tell me. What is certain is that I, I’ve never eaten it. There you go, we return to the center of Kalaweit.
We have to put our masks back on to pass near the gibbons. That’s it, we moved away a bit of gibbon cages. This is the ideal place. We will now be able to release her. At first, as we manipulated her, she acted pretending to be dead. She doesn’t move anymore.
And when she sees the surroundings are sure, then she will start running again. Whether it’s a tarantula, of a crocodile or an eagle. Ultimately, for me, saving wild animals has become second nature. I am sometimes told that spending so much energy for an animal is useless,
And that it would be better to devote oneself to men’s problems. But on the contrary, I am convinced, that give a chance to all these animals threatened makes us more human. It’s ours and no one else’s, to protect the immense wealth of the nature that surrounds us.
Call it a mission, a duty. Never mind. Today, I will show you one of the few protected reserves in Borneo. Located in the south of the island, the park Tanjung Puting National Park. If I came to Indonesia to protect gibbons, my life in Borneo also made me discover many species of monkeys,
Who live on the island. And Tanjung Puting Park is precisely one of the places, where they are still the most numerous to live in the wild. To enter the park, we take the Kumai river for a few kilometers, before turning onto a small river winding through the trees.
That’s it, I’m in the forest Tanjung Puting National Park, right in the center of Borneo. Right by the river, there are a lot of proboscis who live in freedom. Over the next two days, I’m going to take advantage of this to study their behavior in nature. Proboscis monkeys, macaques, wild boars, reptiles.
This reserve of 400,000 hectares hosts exceptional biodiversity. But what contributed to the international reputation of the Park, it is the presence of 6,000 orangutans, which constitutes the greatest population of this species in the world. The park’s ecosystem is characterized by the presence of a peatland forest.
It is ideal for this species of primate which feeds mainly on fruit. The peat which covers the ground is full humidity. It guarantees the presence a wide variety of trees, which can produce fruit at short intervals of time. Orangutans benefit here a regular source of food, throughout the year.
On each of my visits in Tanjung Puting, I take the opportunity to go with one of the guards from the park, observe the orangutans. They spend most of their lives in the trees looking for food. To sleep, they build nests perched above the ground, about fifteen meters high.
– It’s what ? It’s a nest up there, isn’t it? – Yes, it’s new. Look, we can see the leaves. – Above us, there is a wild orangutan. It’s a female with a young one. Normally, when they feel in danger, they make sounds like that.
It’s a really typical sound when they are afraid, and if they are angry, they can even breaking branches and throwing them at us. But like here, they don’t feel in danger, they are calm. I don’t want to come any closer so as not to annoy them,
But they might leave or climb even higher into the trees. After these few hours with the orangutans, it’s time to return to the river to access another area of the park. – We’re taking the small boat, right? – Yes, we can do better approach with the little one.
– We’re going to take the boat to go observe the proboscis, and I hope we can get as close as possible, because so far, we could only see them from quite a distance. Good morning ! – It is the ideal habitat for the proboscis. They love being by the river.
They are very special primates because it only exists in Borneo. They are special because they only feed on leaves. They can’t eat fruit. It is a species in danger of extinction. All that remains is a few thousand on the island.
As we see plenty of them on the edge of the river, people say to themselves: “It’s okay, there’s still lots of proboscis here.” But inside the forest, there are very few left, or even more at all… Proboscis monkeys live in groups. Dominated by the large male.
They always follow the same path for 2 or 3 weeks to feed, then return to the same place to rest by the river. They are an easy target for poachers, who can kill them from their boat. Today, the species is very vulnerable, and we count less of 7000 individuals on the island.
Protection programs were launched in Borneo, and particularly within from Tanjung Puting Park, so that this forest can remain theirs. – Cut the engine, there is a group of Proboscis right in front of there. There are so many of them! It is too beautiful ! It’s awesome ! There’s a big male there.
The Proboscis monkey is a unique primate, and as it feeds exclusively leaves, he has a big belly. The dominant male called the alpha male, in addition to having a big belly, he also has a big nose, a bit like me. Here people call them Dutch monkeys,
Because they have pink faces and pointy noses, like Europeans. – It’s awesome ! One morning, like this waking up on the river with the forest around. It gives me strength to continue to fight to protect this forest. And make sure she stays the house of primates or primates.
After these 2 days passed in the national park, it’s time for me to return to Palangkaraya, because a new mission awaits me. After admiring orangutans in the wild, I will be confronted to another reality of the island. It’s an orangutan captured by men who need my help.
– We just received a call. There’s an orangutan to rescue. We have to go today. We will see at the base if we can return immediately to the center. – Have you prepared the equipment? – Yes, he’s ready. – Then, let’s take care of the cage.
We have just been informed that there is a baby orangutan, in the village of Kuala Kurun. It’s 4 or 5 hours from here. Even if it’s a baby, we’re still going take the dart guns. It is unlikely that we will need it for a baby, but you never know,
If we are not going to meet other animals on the way. We must always be ready. Vitamins, gloves, masks. We have to check that we won’t miss him nothing once there. But we also have to act quickly because once you get the call, we never know what can happen.
The main thing now, This is the safety of the orangutan. Lets’ go. We’re going to put the cage in the car. Come on Sam, go ahead! You can’t stay there. When we answer these calls, we are both happy and worried. Happy because we can surrender useful and maybe save an animal.
But also worried because it’s 4 hours from here, and as it rained last night, the road will be very bad, and we fear arriving too late. The animal could be dead or sold. It happens often. The village of Kuala Kurun is located in the north of the central province of Borneo,
Near the Katingan River. – It’s the first time that I am going to Kuala Kurun, but one thing is certain, whether in Kuala Kurun or another village, even if it is 10 hours from Palangkaraya, the situation is the same everywhere. The forest was destroyed to leave place for palm plantations, to produce oil.
Orangutan habitat was completely devastated. In the plantations, the orangutans where the gibbons are killed, workers or poachers take their babies, and sell them as pets. The problem is that if the babies survive afterwards, they grow up and when they are adults, they can become dangerous.
They are wild animals, so we can’t keep them at home. In the end, they end up dying. It’s always the same… After 6 hours of driving, we finally arrive at the address given to us. It is a young couple who welcomes us. They tell me the story of the baby orangutan.
It is classic, his mother was killed by poachers, and he was captured by workers of a palm oil plantation. They kept it on a tree for 2 months. When the young woman and her husband learned that the animal was kept on the plantation, they negotiated with the company to recover and treat him.
The woman is a nurse and was able to take care of him properly. They called him Junckey. – I can take it ? – He is ill ? Can you tell if he’s okay? – He seems a little lethargic to me, but otherwise he seems fine. It’s a male.
It is in good condition. It is rare that we recover a young orangutan in such good condition. He was fed with the right milk. There is a hope that he can grow and that we can release it into the wild. He is not injured, his weight is normal.
When an orangutan is captured very young, it is rare that he can survive. Usually those who are captured in the plantations, are a little older and they have a better chance of survival. This one is so small and thank God he is healthy. – Chani, are you taking him?
If we want to visit him, will we be able to? – Of course, we will give you news. Don’t worry, we will take good care of him, and we will find him a beautiful place to live. In Kalaweit, we take care of all kinds of animals, but it exists specialized associations,
In the care of orangutans. We will surely bring Junckey in one of these centers. Because they are bigger than that of Kalaweit, and above all, they have more experience than we do with the orangutans. The problem for him is that since he was captured, he was fed by humans.
Little by little, he surely finished by identifying with them. That’s the main problem. With what he experienced, it will be difficult to reintroduce it into the wild. For now, the first step is whether he is healthy. There will be blood tests, then we will try to mix it with other orangutans.
Which is fundamental. But as for the release into the wild, it might take years. – How many teeth do you have? Only two. – It is rare that we are given such a healthy baby orangutan. Most of the time when capturing, they are in poor condition. You hurt me…
But this baby orangutan had lucky, even if he lost his mother. But hey, because of all these captures, it is estimated that within 15 years, there will be no more orangutans in the wild on the island of Borneo. – I can tell him goodbye one last time? Junckey darling, you will get better.
You’ll make new friends there. – So the orangutan is with Kosar now. He drinks milk and we go home in Palangkaraya, everything is fine. Thanks a lot for the help. If you hadn’t been there, he would not have survived. I really thank you. do not hesitate don’t call me for news.
– Take good care of Junckey. Back on the premises of the Foundation in Palangkaraya, I find Prada and Enzo, our youngest son whom everyone nicknames Dédé. – Look at the baby orangutan. – The orangutan? He has been captured! – He doesn’t have a mother. – Was his mother killed?
Was she no longer there? I only have a few hours to prepare, Junckey’s transport to its next destination. I decided to entrust it to a foundation specialized in saving orangutans. It has an ideal place for collect young monkeys of this species.
– We are going to put Juncker in the car and then the equipment. – Dad, where are you going? – Dédé, you stay there. – I want to come ! – Goodbye, Junckey. – Sam, come on, you get in there, in the car. Come on ! – And where does Dédé stand?
– Where does Dédé stand? Dédé stays here to help mom. Come on, come give me a kiss. Sorry, Dédé can’t come. Dédé will help me by taking care of mom. The next time, Dédé can come, I promise. Next time you can come. Come on, I have to go.
– Come on Dede, Then we’re going to go see your brother. He’s always like that when his daddy leaves him. But it’s going to be okay. Afterwards, I’ll take him to take a walk. – It is too hard ! – Hello ? Yes. Poor Dédé. I love you my dear.
Well, my son doesn’t cry anymore. It’s always difficult to leave him. Over about a month, I am at home only 10 days. So every time I leave, I see my son crying, even though I know it’s for a good cause, that it is also for the future of my son, somehow…
It’s still difficult for me to be far from them and see him cry. But hey, he’s not crying anymore, that’s something. I can leave with peace of mind. The Nyaru Menteng Center is located about thirty km from Palangkaraya. It was created in 1999 in the heart of the forest,
And he has already collected more of 600 orphaned orangutans. – So here is the person who takes care of the orangutans here. From now on, Junckey is in good hands. – And here is one more orangutan saved. Imagine, thousands are killed here in Borneo.
I have a feeling of joy, but I feel also anger and frustration. Why are things like this? Why Junckey is supported here then that 2 months ago he was born in the forest, in his mother’s arms? That revolts me… Today, the survival of monkeys of Borneo depends on associations,
Who decided to devote their lives to safeguard the different species of the island. Unfortunately the destruction incessant forest, for the benefit of palm oil plantations or the mining industry, snack day after day the natural habitat of animals. If the phenomenon persists, populations monkeys deprived of resources, to feed and protect themselves,
Will continue to see their number decrease irremediably. Until the gibbons, proboscis monkeys or orangutans, who live in the wild have completely disappeared. Today I will make you discover the forests of Kalimantan. That’s what we call the Indonesian part of Borneo. For decades, the island’s forests are seriously threatened by overexploitation,
And the animals pay the high price. The more their habitat is destroyed, the more endangered wildlife species are. So protecting the forest means become one of my daily struggles. – There I am to prepare the paramotor, because I’m going to fly over the reserve.
I want to make sure that there is no disturbances, like loggers, who have no right to be there. Flying directly over the forest, we spot them right away, and we can act directly to preserve gibbon habitat. I have to pay attention, because it hasn’t been long that I learned to pilot this machine,
But it’s a good solution to be able to better protect the forest. And this is a first in Indonesia. Protection of the forest by air using a paramotor, this is a first. Pararawen is a state reserve of 6000 hectares. She is located very close from the Kalaweit center.
Opposite, the Foundation recently purchased a few hectares of additional forests, to protect proboscis and gibbons who live on that side of the Barito River. It barely takes me 30 minutes by canoe to arrive at a clear area, which I can use for takeoff.
– This way, it doesn’t seem bad to me. I should be able to take off. – The reserve is there, just behind this hill. My plan is to fly 300 meters above sea level towards the east, and then hover the forest making a complete tour. It will take me about 1 hour.
The reserve is bordered by a coal mine. One of my goals is to check that the areas at the edge of the sanctuary, are not disturbed by the mine. This role was entrusted to Kalaweit by the Indonesian Forestry Department, who manages the reserve.
– As there is almost no wind and that I am still an amateur, I’ve been trying for almost 2 hours and I can’t take off. If I can’t do my surveillance and there are loggers, who cut down trees illegally, it’s sure that they can have fun. The Pararawen reserve seems perfectly safe today.
It’s really super to see it from above. The flying conditions are good, no disturbances, good visibility is just great. During the flight, I take as much as possible photos of the reserve. This allows you to follow the evolution of the forest, and to identify the presence prohibited activities.
I have to land because It’s already late afternoon, and the sun will soon set. – I try to do this kind of surveillance air every time I come to the reserve. At least once a month. There, for example, in 40 minutes of flight,
I was able to watch half of the boundaries of the sanctuary. And I haven’t seen any news illegal tree cutting. The photos, I will send them to my friends at the forest department. And I’m going to keep coming monitor the area regularly.
The goal is that with my patrols, illegal loggers don’t dare come here, and choose others places far from here. Around the world, nature defenders, denounce the destruction from the forest of Borneo. But the economic issues and powers of industrialists are such, that it is extremely difficult to make things change.
On the island, the resources to exploit are numerous, and the sectors that are spared are very rare. Only in the central province from Kalimantan, whose surface area corresponds a quarter of France, The areas to exploit are everywhere. There are palm oil companies, who destroy thousands of hectares of forests,
To replace them by palm plantations. We also find dozens mines, mainly coal, but also copper, iron, zinc and even gold. Without forgetting the pepper fields, coffee or tea, cotton, cocoa, sugar, coconut, lemongrass, rubber. Alongside all these exploitations, the few areas of protected forests appear very weak.
All you have to do is travel in a canoe to measure the extent of the situation. – Look at that, these trunks that we make float all the way to the sea, it is typical of Borneo. They come from companies which are upstream of the river.
Before the companies palm oil does not destroy everything, first of all it is the forestry companies who take the big trees. They make big rafts to send them downstream, to Banjarmasin town which is at the mouth of the river, and from there they are exported abroad.
A century ago, 100% Borneo was covered with forests. In 2005, only 50% remained, and 10 years later, the figure fell to 35%. Today, the situation of the island is dramatic. Since I did the acquisition of my paramotor, I regularly go to different areas of the province to carry out overflights.
I have accumulated dozens of hours of video, and thousands of photos that I send to the Indonesian authorities, so that they can see the devastation suffered by the forest. – Come on Sam! It’s a little cloudy today. My goal this morning is to fly over a place called Hampapak.
He was part of Kalaweit for 11 years. But unfortunately there is massive deforestation in the area. I will see how is the situation on this ground, because there is a large population orangutans and gibbons in the region. I need to know exactly where we are. Come on, let’s go get the equipment.
– I find that the sky is still very cloudy. I am not sure to be able to fly to Hampapak this morning. I’ll try and see once in the air if I can go and fly over the area. When there are clouds like that, the risk is that when the temperature warms up,
And the wind rises. And the wind can shake the paramotor really strong, I don’t like it at all. These are not good conditions for flying, but I’m going to try anyway. Few months ago, I tried to fly over Hampapak, and there was a storm there.
I was forced to land in disaster in the forest, and I really don’t want to go through that again. Fortunately, it’s lightweight. – The wind is not great… – No… I’ve been using it for a little over a year the paramotor to monitor the forest.
It is effective because we can observe a large area of forest with few staff. In a short time I can assess the situation and no one can deceive me. Before, when I arrived and they told me: “Don’t worry, loggers are very far from the protected area.”
I had no way to check it quickly. With that, all I need is one half hour flight to find out exactly, if part of the sector is being destroyed or not. – Every time I’m flying, we communicate by radio with my son.
I give it to him all the time my position as soon as he sees me no more, in case my engine breaks down. That way, if I have to crash land in the forest, Andrew knows my location.
And he can call his mom to come recover his dad who is lost in the forest. So Andrew’s role is very important! – How are things up there? – It’s okay, I’m on my way. The conditions are good. – Dad is heading towards a Hampapak to protect the territory there.
Because there are people who open access roads to cut trees. They want to sell them to forestry companies. In 2005, Kalaweit created a 7 km² reserve around the lake. Our infrastructure was installed on a small uninhabited island. It was a heavenly place for monkeys.
But the place doesn’t belong to us and we had to move. Today, the provincial government changed the status of land, to give the area to landowners, and transform it into plantations. The forest there is seriously threatened. Palm oil farms Are growing.
From the sky, we can clearly see the access roads which are open through the trees, so that the loggers and workers can transport their equipment. Since my last flight, they have destroyed around twenty hectares per week. When a piece of forest is destroyed,
The animals are forced to leave and try to settle down next door, where there are still trees. Except there are already animals where they go. They have nowhere to go and end up dying. – Here, the wind is much stronger than before. Maybe because the forest has been cut down,
And there is a lot of land which have been cleared. Every year it gets worse and worse. The wind is blowing more and more. The west wind which is the most powerful is no longer stopped by the trees, and those who protected the houses were cut down,
So many houses were collapsed, simply swept by the wind. Since this land has been used to take off, I come to help Chani. What he does is really important to protect the environment. – Good morning. Do you know if we can rent motorbikes? this way just to go next door?
Can we wait here to get them? Fortunately, this man is ready to help us. We will go directly in the field on a motorbike. I never went there the new way open access for cutting trees. I did not think that the situation was so serious.
I want to go see that immediately on site. – We are on the way which they opened in Hampapak, Before, this is where Kalaweit had its infrastructure. We now see how badly the forest was attacked. The creation of this road, it is the beginning of deforestation.
For what ? Because the rest of this plot land is now accessible. You see this peat two meters thick? In the next dry season, everything will burn. We see it with this road, the water which should be in the forest right now, she is stuck in trenches.
So the forest is drying up and the risk of fire is extremely high. It’s really sad because There is absolutely nothing I can do about it… Fires are one of the consequences serious consequences of land exploitation. They increase the destruction of forests and have dramatic effects for the population.
Every year, tens of hectares are destroyed by fire, and some villages are submerged in a huge cloud of smoke. Forest destruction has an impact across the entire ecosystem. I will have proof of it again when of my visit to the village of Muara Inu, on the banks of the Lahei River.
– I have just arrived in Muara Inu, a village located 4 hours from Kalaweit. I’m coming to visit my best friend, someone very important in my life. But here, I am very surprised to see the village completely flooded. Even if the flooding is not a new phenomenon in Borneo,
It is common that these villages are flooded, at least once during the rainy season. But there it takes worrying proportions. With factories and deforestation, there are more and more floods. What happens here in Muara Inu, it is symbolic, of what is happening when the forest disappears.
It’s not just wild animals who are victims, there are also people who live along the river. – It’s over there ! – Yes, but how can I get through? – That’s it, here you are! When I saw you coming over there, I knew you weren’t going to pass.
– It’s not easy to get to your place! – Is it okay, can I trust you? Are you going to be able to bring it yourself? Be careful out there. – Your house is flooded. Has the water already covered the floor? – Almost, but not yet completely. – Fortunately… Come, my dog.
I am very happy to return to Muara Inu. It’s been 6 months since I’ve been here. But I’m sad to see what conditions do the inhabitants live in? Because it’s really flooded there. – There are a lot of houses that are affected.
We don’t even see the difference anymore between the forests, the river and the village. There is water everywhere. – Almost everything is flooded here! – How are you ? – I’m doing well. – I am happy to see you. – How are you ? – I’m in good shape. – It’s so flooded!
I met Wakwak, two years ago. His first name means Gibbon in Indonesian, and mine also means gibbon in Thai. We became friends right away. He suffered from a facial deformity, and I helped his father so that he have the operation done in Jakarta, the country’s capital.
Since then, I have tried to visit them regularly. In his father’s phone contacts, it says Wakwak for my number. And so he calls me also Wakwak as his son. That’s why that he is more than a friend to me, it is a very strong symbol of my life in Borneo.
Of course my job is to try to help wild animals, but there is not only animals that suffer. The inhabitants of the villages are also faced with difficult situations. We must not forget it… – You do well at school, okay? – Yes, I promise. – Bye Madam.
I saw Wakwak again, his family and friends from the village of Muara Inu. Every time I come here, it makes me feel good. Borneo has become my home now. I really feel at home there. And when I leave here, it gives me even more want to fight, to try to improve things.
It actually gives me courage. In Borneo, the natural cycle of forests has been completely disrupted by deforestation. Without trees and without peat, water is no longer retained by the forest. When it rains, the villages are exposed to flooding, and when it’s hot, the risk of fire increases.
The only solution is for me to continue to film the situation from the sky, to show all Indonesians what is happening on the ground, and so that protective measures are implemented by the government, so that one day the destruction forests of Kalimantan finally stops. Today I’m getting ready from the Pundu region,
Located a hundred kilometers away from Palangkaraya, where I live with my family. My mission for the day? The rescue of a gibbon. I am accompanied of my eldest son, Andrew. We learned that an animal had been captured. The problem is that we were given its location only in an approximate manner.
So to get it back, we’re going go to the site and carry out the investigation. – Excuse me sir, I’m looking the town of Moeara****, where is it? – You have to take that intersection over there. Yes that’s it. – After the field? – Yes, that’s it.
– So I turn after the field and I get there, thank you. – There, we are in the Pundu region. Last night we were informed that a small gibbon had been captured by villagers. It’s a certain Pak Bang Bang who called me. There we must look because I’ve never been here,
And we have to recover the gibbon as quickly as possible. The Pundu region is particularly affected by deforestation. Here, the palm oil plantations have devastated the natural habitat of gibbons. And as the forest disappears, wild animals get captured. A very classic scenario in Borneo.
– We’re looking for Pak Bang Bang who works at the clinic. – Pak Bang Bang from the clinic? – Yes. – He lives about 10 kilometers away. – All right. And when is it that I have to shoot, then? – Take the second right and then you go straight.
– It’s indicated ? – Yes, it is indicated. – Okay, great, thank you. After losing our way several times in the middle of oil palm plantations, We manage finally to the village of Moeara****. – Good morning. I’m looking for Mr. Bang Bang. He is down there… Mr. Bang Bang? Finally !
We went around in circles for hours to find you. How are you ? I present to you my son. No Sam, you’re not coming any closer. – Two days ago, someone brought me the gibbon. He was unconscious. – How is he now? Better ?
– Yes, better. He can sit up and he moves a little. – It is a small ? – Yes, since he was here, I only gave him milk. – Just milk, okay. – He’s really weak. He is ill… Yes, but now he can sit up. Yesterday he couldn’t.
– He’s doing very badly actually. At this age, gibbons are very active normally, so he must have a problem. There we have to bring him back as quickly as possible to Palangkaraya, to take care of him, find the right treatment, and maybe we will arrive to save him.
But at first glance it seems of having undergone very significant stress. And even if he is not physically injured, the problem may be psychological. – I think the animal which was discovered by Mr Bang Bang, had to live with people for a long time.
They had to abandon it in a palm oil plantation. And that’s where the family from Pak Bang Bang found it. We are now bringing the animal back to the offices of the Kalaweit Foundation in Palangkaraya. These premises are often used by us to assess the health status of animals,
And then we transport them at the Moerateweh camp. There they can live in the middle of the forest with the other gibbons. – I have to wear a mask so as not to risk contaminating it. As he is very weak, a simple flu could kill him.
The first thing to do, is to take off his t-shirt. It’s a gibbon, not a human being. He doesn’t need to wear clothes or diapers. He just needs to be in a quiet, clean place, filled with leaves. Next, we must check that they were not shot at. Sometimes when poachers baby gibbons steal,
Babies cling to their mothers in the trees. And there the hunters shoot on the mother to make her fall. So it happens that babies are also affected. In this case, we find bullets under the hair. – Look, he already has teeth there! But you saw, They are still very small!
I would say he must have a little over 3 years. The monkey is not wild enough for having been raised in the forest. He was probably captured when he was very little. His behavior is quite strange and he seems completely blind.
He may have had a brain accident because of the intense stress he experienced. Before you can transport it, we must ensure that it feeds itself, otherwise he risks not being able to endure the journey. – Very often to feed a gibbon that we have just recovered,
We try to give him crickets, but here, it doesn’t work. When a sick gibbon sees a locust, he immediately tries to catch it. That proves he’s hungry. But there, he doesn’t react at all. As he has a problem with his eyes, we’re going to call it Mata, it means eye.
– To tell the truth, we don’t know why he is blind, nor if he will ever regain his sight. Fortunately, after several attempts, Mata finally agrees to feed. For now, he will stay for a few days in the foundation’s offices. We will organize its transport towards the camp later,
Because first I have to go get a another gibbon in the town of Pankalan Bun, located 450 kilometers away west of Palangkaraya. This is a female gibbon which is located in the premises of the OFI, the International Foundation for the protection of orangutans. Wounded by gunshot and captured by poachers,
It was then recovered by the guards of the forest department, who brought her to the foundation for treatment. The veterinarians managed to save life and they named him Ori. – She was captured in the forest, right? – Yes, and that’s where she was injured. – She is big !
– At the beginning, we even believed that she was pregnant. – Yes, she is really overweight. Normally, wild gibbons weigh around 7-8 kilos, no more. – This is the 1st time that we receive a gibbon. When we got it back, She was in really bad shape.
At first, we didn’t think we could save her. And then little by little, we saw that his health began to improve. And when I look at her, I say to myself that maybe she has a chance, to one day return to live in nature thanks to our friends in Kalaweit.
Now as soon as someone will bring us a wild animal, whatever it is, we will collect it. Especially if it’s a gibbon, because we learned to work with them. We can help them and give them to Kalaweit. – To transport Ori, we have to anesthetize him because she is wild.
It’s funny because here, they use wooden blowguns. Like the one the Dayaks used before. – You want to use my Xylazine to anesthetize him? – No, I have ketamine, we’re not going give him in addition to Xylazine. – If you already have very good ones.
– We use ketamine because Xylazine, we’re almost out of it. You think it is necessary give him what dose? – I would say a dose for an animal weighing 12 kilos. – It is not easy to anesthetize a gibbon with a blowgun. Even when he’s in a cage. You can’t touch him anywhere.
To put him to sleep safely, you should aim for the outside of your thigh. If we want to put Ori to sleep, This is for two reasons. First we have to transfer it in a small cage, and it’s difficult to put a adult monkey like that in a small cage.
Then we want that she sleeps during transport. The goal is that the effect of the anesthetic lasts throughout the journey, to minimize stress. – That’s it, the arrow has arrived right in the right place in his thigh. Now we wait for her to fall asleep.
We should start to see the effects anesthesia within ten minutes. Ori is finally asleep. I can now put her in a cage to bring her back to Palangkaraya. – Thank you for everything. You should come visit us in Kalaweit. – Yes, we will come see you. – Bye. THANKS. – Good road !
Mata and Ori are now reunited. After both made a long journey, the two gibbons will soon be able join the other Kalaweit gibbons. – That’s it, we’re in Kalaweit. It’s already afternoon and it’s time for Mata and Ori, to discover their new home.
They’re doing pretty well, but they need to be very tired from the trip. They have been under great stress and they need to rest in a very quiet place. -And this place is Kalaweit. – Yesterday, we were warned by residents from Pundu that there was a gibbon to be recovered.
It was found in very poor condition. He couldn’t do anything anymore. He was in a basket like this. It would have been abandoned in a palm oil field. And people left it for 5 days in this basket. It turns out he is completely blind.
However, his eyes appear normal. It must be a nervous problem. When we arrived at the office, he no longer moved. Not that he was paralyzed, but rather that he didn’t have enough energy. Afterwards he started again to eat little by little. This morning I saw that he had again enough strength to eat,
To fight. This one was taken by poachers in March last year. They took her baby and she was captured. Her baby has since disappeared. It was picked up by people of the OFI who took care of it. She stayed there for quite a while.
We should put her in a bigger cage so she could at least stand up. – We’re not very used to it to this situation because in Kalaweit, almost all animals we rescue have already lived in contact with humans. Some have almost been tamed. Ori is therefore a case quite special for us,
Because she was caught in the wild when she was already an adult. It risks being disrupted by the population very important Kalaweit gibbons. For example, tomorrow morning, all the noises gibbons will surely stress her out, and she risks becoming disoriented. So we will have to be very careful with her.
Tonight she’s going to sleep in a cage, she will have to stay there for that he takes all his exams. We haven’t had a blood test yet. we can’t put her with a male yet. The two gibbons are transported towards the clinic. We clean the large cage located outside the building for Ori.
Since our arrival, his condition seriously starting to worry me. Ori is exhausted. It’s been a long journey for her. From Pangkalan Bun to Palangkaraya and from Palangkaraya to Moerateweh… There it is already 4:30 p.m. and she barely ate anything since the beginning of the trip. That’s not really a good sign.
We will try to transfer it in his new cage. – This is the first step for Ori. She must stay in this quarantine cage. It’s late, she’s very upset, and she’s really hesitant to get out of its transport cage. While Ori finally accepted to come out of his cage,
It’s Mata’s turn to join the clinic. Their first night will be decisive for their adaptation to their new environment. Unfortunately, after a night spent at camp, Ori’s condition has not improved. – Ori is still very disturbed. Coming back this morning, I was hoping to find it sleeping on top of his cage,
But unfortunately, she is still on the ground. I have the impression that she hardly has any moved since last night. She still refuses to eat. And there are the cries of the other gibbons and it must shock her to find herself here,
Because she has never been in a environment with so much noise. He was given different fruits, hoping that there are some who will try it, and she starts eating again and she climbs to the top of the cage. She would be safer up there, it would be protected from water and predators.
There might be snakes here. If it stays on the ground, there is always a risk that a snake will come and bite her. I admit that I don’t know what to do… – Using the language of gibbons, I try to tell him that I’m his friend and that she shouldn’t worry.
This grimace I just made, this is what they do when they invite each other to play. But Ori looks suspicious. His response can be interpreted as: “I don’t want to play, You’re not my friend yet.” – Given his reaction, there are more chances that she starts eating again,
If there is no one around her. So for now, It’s better that I go. I leave Ori alone, hoping that she regains the desire to feed herself. But after several hours, his condition does not improve. Looking at his eyes, I feel like that his will to live is fading.
That she no longer has the strength to eat, to get up or climb to the top of his cage. The more time passes, the more I am pessimistic about his chances of survival. After passing by several hours alongside Ori, I decide again to leave her alone for a moment.
I will come back later, after completing my patrol daily on the river. – I’m on my way back. I just received a text from Purbo. The text says this: “Ori State had become critical. We tried everything, but she ended up dying.” I think we took a bad decision indeed.
Ori wasn’t ready for this long journey, even if we thought that it was for his own good, that she could live as a couple. Live as a gibbon should live… Not alone in her cage. But what happened proves that we made a mistake. I don’t know what to say actually.
Ori should be with us today. We tried, but she refused to eat. I didn’t expect that his health is also declining rapidly. It proves that it is not enough to want to help animals to make it work. In wild species, there are sometimes things we don’t understand. And now, Ori is dead…
I should have seen that she wasn’t ready to be transported. I think the determining factor was the stress of this long journey. I blame myself, it’s my fault. We failed to save Ori, but Mata escaped. Today, the camp is home to 140 gibbons who are in perfect health,
After almost dying malnutrition or disease. On the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java alone, it is estimated that there are 6000 gibbons held completely illegally in private homes, and thousands of others still in the wild, are threatened by deforestation and poaching. For the Kalaweit Foundation, the task is immense,
And hope to change things is sometimes utopian. But day after day, we continue to fight. Today I go on the island of Sumatra of Borneo. It takes 10 hours of flight with a stopover in Jakarta before arriving at my destination, the city of Padang. Padang is a large city, near of 900,000 inhabitants.
Like in Borneo, here, many animals are victims, deforestation and poaching. Kalaweit therefore created a 2nd center to help them. I go there regularly to return visit to the Foundation teams. – Hi, how are you ? – Well and you ? – Great ! It rained this morning, didn’t it? – Yes a bit.
– Was that the way down? – Yes, it’s okay, not too bad. – It’s going to be a big day. He’s Ferri. He joined the Kalaweit foundation 10 years ago. He takes care of all the activities of the Foundation on the island of Sumatra.
The camp is seven kilometers away. Let’s go before it starts raining. – It is only 7 km between Padang and the center, but the track is very damaged, and what’s more, the camp is at an altitude of 1000 m so the climb is a bit extreme.
It’s always a real challenge to bring the team food, and everything they need for animals. – The road doesn’t look great… – Yes, if it continues to rain, we’re not going to be able to climb, I don’t think. If it’s good, it’s okay. I’m not unhappy to have arrived.
– Fortunately we don’t have got stuck in the rain. – We’re going straight to see the animals. – Yes OK. The center covers 8 hectares of land and shelters several dozen animals. Most of those living here were illegally detained in private homes.
When a new animal arrives at the center, he is often in very poor health. – How is she doing Curry? – She is going better. – How long has she been here? Almost a month, right? – Yes, it’s been a month exactly today. – And his head, has it gotten worse or not?
– It started with a small injury. When we brought him to the camp, we didn’t really know what was wrong with her. It seemed like she had been attacked by her own parents. She was very upset during the transport. – Was it because of stress? – Yes, because of stress.
So initially, there was a small injury and after a few days, the wound got bigger because her mother scratched and licked her. And after the injury has become so big, that we were starting to see the skull bone. At first, we treated her directly into his cage.
– You mean she was always with his parents, right? – Yes, but the problem is that his parents kept scratching, and lick his wound. – There was no risk of it scarring… – Yes that’s it. This is why we made the decision to take her out of her cage,
And take her with us to the clinic. There, it’s been a month that we try to treat her, and the wound begins just healing. And she’s better now. – When will we be able to put her back with her parents, do you think? – I am not sure…
Maybe we’ll try to submit it next week. – It’s always a dilemma for the veterinary team, to separate a baby from its parents when he needs to be taken care of, because there is a risk that his parents do not accept him when he returns.
There are three possibilities. The first, and it’s the worst, it may happen that his parents kill their children when we bring them back, because they no longer recognize him and consider him a stranger, which threatens their territory. The second is that they accept it in the cage but they refuse to treat him.
And that, too, is a problem. The third possibility is what we hope for every time, it’s that his parents accept it and take care of it. The particularity of siamangs is that males participate in the care of the babies. Chances are if the mother loses interest in his child,
The father takes care of it. We try to put it back to his parents in a week? Are we going to see them? In the wild, they are only found in Malaysia and on the island of Sumatra. They are recognizable in their big pocket, which swells at the neck when they scream.
It is so effective that we can hear them several km around. It is a kind of territorial song, during which spread the male and the female. – They are magnificent ! Curry is their first baby, actually. – What is his name? – Ridjal. – Ridjal, and her? – Rica.
– We hope that in a week they will accept that their child should be given back to them. We’ll see how it goes, but the most important, it’s already just the injury is completely healed. Right next to the camp, the Kalaweit Foundation created the Supa Yang reserve in 2011.
This is a protected area of more than 260 hectares. It is covered with primary forests and perched between 600 and 1000 meters above sea level. If it stops raining, we’ll maybe be able to observe them. – Ferry and I visit often on expedition to the reserve, to observe animals in their natural environment.
This morning we are going to a place, where a family of gibbons was recently located. It is in this area that lives the family of wild gibbons. There are 5 of them. There is no noise. Maybe because of the rain. We have to wait to see if any branches move,
And if we hear them start to sing. – All the hills in front of us, including where we are, It all belongs to Kalaweit. It is a totally protected area. The goal is that the animals who live there are safe, and don’t be disturbed by men.
Ferry and his team are loaded to protect animal habitat. Here there are siamangs, gibbons, wild cats. Tapirs, bears and lots of other animals. The center was initially created to protect gibbons, but by protecting the gibbons, we protect their habitat. So ultimately, everyone else animals that live in the forest, are also protected.
– Look, there they are! – Observe the little ones, that’s what I prefer. Look, the first one is all black, the second too. And the third… – The third has lighter hair. – Yes, you’re right, he is still very small. So there we have three little ones, two black and one light.
Plus both parents, so we have all 5. The gibbon population and other primates, is still very high in the Supa Yang forest. In fact, this is no coincidence. Throughout West Sumatra, man took possession of the plains. He completely destroyed the natural habitat of wild species.
The only animals that remain free are those who live in the mountains, like here, at 1000 meters altitude. Like the only places that aren’t exploited by man are in the mountains, the animals all came here. This is my favorite moment. To see these animals in the wild.
After our morning meeting with the family of wild gibbons, Ferry and I go to another sector of the reserve. We are now entering an area, that we have only started to be studied only very recently. – To know precisely the type animals that live in this forest, we use a system automatic camera.
The device takes a photo as soon as that an animal passes in front of its objective. We call it a trap camera. – We put one here, how long ago? – It’s been a month. – One month is perfect, we’ll check if animals were photographed.
The “trap” camera that we have come to raise was installed in a strategic location, below the slope, very close to the bed of a river. In this place, the animals can come and drink, or simply move around more easily because the land is more accessible. The river no longer flows.
Maybe we’ll find something. This trap camera… We put it here because we had detected traces, left by mammals short. Often, when there are small mammals, they are followed by predators, like tigers for example. So we put a trap camera to be clear about it, and I hope we will have results.
I brought my computer, like this if there are files, and I hope there is, I can start the copy directly and then restart the camera. In the forest, we have trap cameras installed almost everywhere. We put several at the borders of the reserve.
We put one here. How many do we have in total? – 8! – There you go, we have 8 which run all the time. – There are no horns. We just watched all videos, we have a muntjac, a type of small deer. He passed precisely where we had discovered traces with Ferry.
So we have a muntjac, a macaque too. The good thing is that the camera can take photos day or night. So even animals that live at night, like porcupines for example can be filmed. The good news is there’s a lot more of species than we had estimated.
Apart from primates, we realized that there are also other mammals, like tapirs. We took a photo of a panther. And even a wild cat belonging to a very rare species from Sumatra. It is truly satisfying to see wild animals in this protected area,
And to be able to observe them thanks to a camera without disturbing them. Now we prepare the camera and we’ll come back in a month, to recover movies and photos and to check that the animals have passed. Our first objective is to list all species present in the reserve.
Then, by placing our cameras at the same places over a long period of time, we can identify for each species all the individuals who live there, because we will be able to recognize them every time they are filmed. It will be very useful, especially for large mammals like tapirs, deer or bears.
We will know exactly who lives in this forest. There you go, I handed over the card. The batteries are still charged. I put it back on “On”. I close the case. For us who are all the time faced with distress, animals mistreated by humans,
It’s a real joy to explore a forest where species still live in the wild. – Right here, look! Under the big tree, there’s something weird. Here, from the time of occupation by the Dutch, there were gold mines, and the gold prospectors even dug very deep in the mountain.
Look, there’s a big hole there, it’s flooded. If it’s not too deep, we can try to enter. We smell the bats. Water, no light. This is ideal for pythons. Ferry looks for other caves around, and we will explore everything what we can find.
– Look, there is a swallow’s nest, but it is empty. It’s still crazy what man is willing to do to find gold. Our goal is to explore 1 to 1 all the abandoned mines of the reserve, to know precisely what animals live in it.
This one is flooded. You’ll see, there’s plenty of water in it. We’re going to go inside. To explore it I need a stick because there is mud and water. And I need to know how deep it is. In the mud, there is also bat droppings, and it can be a very dangerous poison.
– Did you take the stick? – Yes it’s good. – I’ll take the rope. We also need a rope to be able to find our way back. Nobody wants to remain trapped inside. – I feel like it’s flooded again for at least ten meters.
We have to be careful because that if we spot movements, this could indicate the presence of a snake. It is an ideal place for different species that can swim. After the area that is flooded, it’s all dry. So finally, water protects them from predators, because most will not dare to cross the water.
I am approaching the dry zone. If I were a snake, I would search a refuge exactly like this one. Let’s keep moving forward. We can’t even see the entrance to the cave anymore. The bottom of the cave is flooded. Maybe we won’t be able to go only during the dry season.
There are maybe ten caves like that in the Supa Yang reserve. For now, Ferry and his team have only discovered a few. So, we must continue the explorations. We’re not looking for gold. But even if these caves were dug by men,
They have become an ideal place for that the animals come to take refuge there. Today we found nothing, but we’ll come back here later, to explore the cave to the end. We should check each side of the cave to see if there are others. – Be careful, we’re sinking there.
– I am happy because these caves are a reserve, an even more suitable place to the protection of wild species. They can use them as shelter. So, even if today, we didn’t find any, we will continue to explore them to see if animals use them or not.
The adventure has only just begun in fact. At the clinic, Curry’s injury is now healed. The little gibbon is doing much better, and it’s time to bring her back in his parents’ cage. Fortunately, despite our concerns and after more than a month of separation, both parents have not forgotten their little one.
– I’m so happy that Curry was also well accepted by his parents. They took it straight away in their arms. It’s really super. My stay in Sumatra ends by this beautiful story, of a family of primates finally recomposed. Maybe one day we can release them in the forest, where they were born,
Where no one should ever have come and capture them. Today I left the Kalaweit camp in Sumatra, and I head towards the district from Pasaman, north of Padang. Several cases of bear capture by inhabitants were recorded in the area.
I’m going to find my friend Ferry, the person in charge of Kalaweit in Sumatra. He has already been welcomed by the guards of the forest department. – Good morning. – Good morning. -So what’s going on? – We have to go see how the animals are doing. – How many bears are there here?
– There are two that were captured in traps. – How are they ? They are injured. – The smallest was amputated at the paw here. And the biggest one got completely cut nails. – Are they in there? Can we see them? – Yes. – Okay, let’s go then.
– He is the one with claws cut. – How long has it been? that he was captured? – He was caught in the trap ten days ago. – Ten days… Both animals are sun bears also called coconut bears. This is the smallest species bears in the world.
Individuals do not exceed one meter 20 and 90 kilos. Wild, The sun bear is a night owl. It lives at the top of trees, in a nest of branches where it spends its days sleeping. Its blade-shaped claws, are particularly suitable to climb trees. The species is threatened by deforestation.
Here is an example of conflict which frequently happens in Sumatra, which actually happens almost everywhere, even in Borneo. Residents use traps for hunting. They are not intended to capture bears, but rather wild boars or deer. But when the bears pass by, they get caught.
If we don’t discover them right away, their legs can be cut off. When you can see it on that of the youngest, here, his paw has already disappeared and we have to treat him. The taller one was luckier, He just has his nails pulled out.
We hope to be able to release him very quickly in its natural habitat. Where is the problem? Because if we release it anywhere, there is a risk that it will start again, and the bear finds himself still in conflict with people.
– We very often have conflicts to manage between wild animals and the population, whether with Sumatran tigers, panthers or bears. But it is true that since these month, there was an increase. For these two bears, we hope that we will be able to amputate the youngest,
Because he’s not doing well at all and he refuses to eat. The biggest one, we will try to release him because we were able to take care of him. What we hope is that the villagers stop setting traps, and we manage to make them understand that it’s not just wild boars,
Or the deer that get captured, but also bears. However, bears are protected by law. – It’s much more difficult to manage wild animals, who just come to be captured in the wild. They are much more aggressive. The risk of being attacked is much bigger for us,
So it’s very difficult. The animal is very stressed. But for him, it’s just a step to overcome because this night, he will be free again. – Redwan, you go straight to the camp and the medical team will wait at Supa Yang, to treat him urgently.
With Ferry, we will release the bear adult as quickly as possible, with officers of the forest department. Afterwards, we return directly to Supa Yang. I’ll call you later to pick up news from the bear, okay? – There, we go to the place where we will release the bear.
We still have 2 or 3 hours of driving. It’s something to go through a town with a bear in the back of a pickup truck. In addition, he often leaves its legs protrude from the cage. I hope there will be no problem. That’s why we put on the sirens,
So that we arrive as quickly as possible possible to our destination without passing. We go to a reserve where we will try to release the 1st bear. During this time, the 2nd animal, the youngest, has already arrived at the Kalaweit health center.
His paw was caught in the trap and the wound is already very infected. The team must therefore operate urgently. To avoid any risk of gangrene, veterinarians do not have no other solution than to amputate the animal. The amputation must be done quite high on the paw,
So that the wound can be closed with the skin of the stump. After 1 hour of intervention, the operation is a success. The young bear, still under anesthesia, is returned to his cage. His life is saved, but the animal will have to learn to live on 3 legs,
For the rest of his life. While the young bear is already recovering from his operation, Ferry and I are still on the road. After 4 hours of travel, we are almost arrived at their destination. – We entered the forest, but the path is muddy,
And we do not know if the vehicles will be able to pass or not. It’s already dark, we’re very tired, and I feel like the battle is not yet finished. Go ahead, go back, go back. Again. – We’re going to release him in this direction.
We’re going to reverse the car so far, I think. With the headlights aimed that way, that should do it. We’ll just have to be careful when opening the door. – You have already released a bear directly from his cage? – Actually no, never.
There’s a chance he’ll turn around towards us and it can be dangerous. If he gets out of his cage and he turns around, he will be like that. If we can slide the door vertically to put us behind, it would be better. Let’s prepare the rope first.
This is our first bear release in Sumatra. We’ll have to improvise. Between his capture in the trap stretched by the villagers, stay in cage at the forest department, and transportation several hours in 4×4, the animal is in a state of extreme stress. – There we are, we’re almost ready.
We’re going to open the door by pulling it very quickly from the top. And the guards will jump in the back from the car to get inside. We are rather worried about the idea that instead of running towards the forest, they turn around and attack us. It actually stresses me out a bit.
The team is ready. Once the cage is opened, one of the guards will shoot a gunshot in the air, to force the bear to run away towards the forest. – It is time. It is now that everything will be decided. It’s a moment which makes me really happy.
The moment we open the cage and where the bear can be free again. What’s a shame is that there are hundreds of bears that cannot be saved. So many are killed in these territorial conflicts, between bears and men. But tonight is a very special moment for the animal and for me too.
After our restless night in the forest, Ferry and I are back at camp. The young bear who was operated on the day before seems to have tolerated the procedure very well. He even regained his appetite. – It’s a real success. Because I remember yesterday, when we saw him,
We really wondered whether he would survive or not. And now his wound is clean and doing better. We can wait quietly let it heal. We will install him a place just for him, and I hope that one day we can put it back with the other bears.
What is certain is that he will never be able be released into the wild, but at least he can have a decent life in Kalaweit. We initially created this camp in Sumatra to welcome gibbons, but today, our teams are ready to receive any animal in danger,
And every day we have new cases in store. After the two bears recovered in the Pasaman region, Forest department guards appealed to Kalaweit again. This time, they informed us of the presence of a siamang held in a private home, in the Bengkulu region.
The animal was captured in the wild at the age of 3 months. Since then, he has spent 7 years at the end of a chain at its owner. A totally illegal detention. The forest department therefore ordered to hand over the animal to us.
Serina, one of the center’s veterinarians who was charged with this mission. – When we wanted to bring him into his transport cage, he refused. He demanded to go in the arms of its owner. But afterward, when she brought him in front of the cage, he became suspicious and he began to rebel.
He didn’t want to come in and like there were many people around him, he started to be more and more stressed. We were forced to pass his chain through the cage, to be able to pull it from the inside. At first glance, he seemed in pretty good shape,
Despite the past 7 years at the end of a chain, he managed to eat and drinking alone. And in the end, we still arrived to get it back, without having to use tranquilizers. When he is conscious, it’s easier for us, to check how he is doing during the trip.
After transport by truck of several hours to reach camp, we must now do a complete check-up of the siamang. – He is still chained in its transport cage. We will anesthetize him to assess your state of health, and above all remove the chain that he has around his neck without hurting him.
It’s really nice to free him from his chains, who had to torture him all this time. It’s one of my favorite moments in this kind of case. – He was chained for years. By removing this chain, for him, it’s the start of a new life in Kalaweit.
When you receive a new animal, we must inspect his body, to check if he doesn’t have air rifle pellets. When poachers capture young monkeys, generally, they kill their mother by shooting him with a rifle. And as the little ones cling to them, they can be affected too.
The next step is to perform blood samples. The goal is to check if he does not have contracted illness during his detention. Then we will have to wait waking up the animal, and follow very closely the evolution of his state of health.
It’s still too early to install it with the other siamangs in the camp. So we bring him still asleep, in a small, quiet cage where he can recover from the trip. – When he wakes up, he will be a little lost. For the first time since he was captured,
When he was just a baby who lived in the forest with his family, he will wake up again among the trees here, and hear others siamangs around him. – No ! What is that ? When I was getting ready to leave him in his cage,
I realize we missed out a large wound on his neck. It was the channel that did this. The wound was hidden under the hairs, However, I caught it by the neck this morning and I didn’t see anything. The wild animals can easily deceive us,
Even when they suffer, they try to hide it, to survive in nature, they have to give all the time the feeling of being in good health. And this morning, we all got screwed. We saw him eating well and be active in his cage. And all this despite such a serious wound.
That’s because he was chained years ago, when he must have still been very small. He grew up and his owners have not loosened the chain, and over time, she completely embedded in the skin. We are obliged to bring back immediately bring the animal to the clinic. As he is still under anesthesia,
The veterinarians will take care to clean and sew up his wound. Given the depth of his wound, it’s almost a miracle, that it is not infected and that he was able to survive this long. Another terrible example of an animal victim of men. Who was captured and tortured for years.
With an injury this serious, that’s for sure that his stay in Kalaweit will be long. We’re not about to release him one day in the forest. Like the chained Siamang during 7 years, the animals of Kalaweit must somehow regain a taste for life. Not yet a life in the wild,
But already closer to that that they knew when they were born. In the camp, new residents arrive almost every week, and this morning, two monkeys came from another archipelago which have been entrusted to us. It’s funny, the body is almost identical but a little wider. So here’s Jorah and Mandu,
2 truly special gibbons because they belong, to the Kloss gibbons species. We only find on the Mentawai archipelago. It is one of the most threatened with extinction in Indonesia, because of deforestation and poaching. And the only association that comes to them Kalaweit helps.
I have hope that one day they can return to live in the wild. Because in the Mentawai archipelago, there are still forest areas which have not been transformed into plantations, unlike Borneo. Kloss’s gibbons are often called dwarf siamangs. Because they have black fur like the siamangs,
And that they are the species the smallest among gibbons. There are barely a few thousands of Kloss gibbons, which live in the natural state. Jorah and Mendu come of Siberut National Park, on the Mentawai archipelago. They were captured by locals, then confiscated by the department forests who sent them to us.
It’s Toto Indraswunto, the park director who came in person to entrust us with the two gibbons. – One day, Kalaweit may be able to build a center in the Siberut National Park. That way, when we get an animal back, we won’t need to send it that far.
Here the environment is a little different of that of the Mentawai archipelago. It would be better if he could stay there. What I hope is that once that they will have been cared for here, they can be brought back and released in the national park, where they were born.
This way, we will be able to preserve all wild species, who live in the Siberut reserve. 2 bears captured in traps who had their lives saved. A siamang released after 7 years passed at the end of a chain, 2 Kloss gibbons came get treatment at the center.
Each of these cases shows in their own way that our efforts are starting to bear fruit. Kalaweit was able to gain trust authorities of Sumatra, and guards from the forest department. It’s them now who ask us, when informed that an animal is held in a private home.
Perhaps a sign of change of mentality on the island. And the proof that the inhabitants gradually become aware, that the protection of wild animals, must become a priority for all of Indonesia. Today I go in the heart of Padang city,
Located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra, where nearly a million inhabitants live. Padang is a center of commerce important since the 17th century. At the time, the place belonged to the Dutch. They exploited pepper, coffee and especially gold. Today the city is prosperous,
And exports its many resources to all Asian countries. In the markets, you can find everything and it is not uncommon, only wild animals be sold completely freely. With my friend Ferry who directs the Kalaweit center of Sumatra, we go to one of the animal markets in Padang.
During our visits, we play often the role of simple buyers, wanting to acquire protected animals so as not to scare traders. – In places like here, you can order anything, they give it to us. Protected animals will of course not be not displayed on the shelves,
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t buy them. It’s smaller now. Wasn’t it bigger before? Before it was bigger, there were more people. – Before Yes. – If we want to buy a siamang, can anyone sell us some? – No, no one sells them. Besides here, we find more. – And other monkeys?
If I want a monkey to go get coconuts. – If, from time to time, there are, pig-tailed macaques. – What? – There are pig-tailed macaques. There are gibbons too. – Gibbons? Are you sure ? – I don’t know, the other one there. – The one who sings? – No, yellow.
– The langur? – Yes. – There are no gibbons? – No, there are no gibbons. – How do I buy one? I don’t know, although someone is trying to sell us some, we don’t buy because it is a protected species. – But are there langurs?
– Yes there is. There are yellows, there are blacks. – The yellows are magnificent. It is the symbol of West Sumatra. – But they too are in danger. – Yes, but we can keep them as pets, right?
– Yes we can. But it is rare. There are fewer and fewer of them on the market. But on the other hand, macaques, it’s easy to find. – Yes, macaques… – There’s also that. – I didn’t see him earlier. I can look ? He is sleeping. He sleeps all day, right?
– Yes, they are shy. If I feed him, he wakes up. – Are there babies? – No. – How much do you sell them? – ₹100,000 and even more, sometimes 200,000. – 200,000? – Yes. – The adults, people here buy them, for some medicine special. You know what I mean ?
– Yes, for aphrodisiac drugs. – What part do they eat? – The heart… – But why do you speak so quietly? – There are more people who is looking for babies. – He can bite, right? – Yes, he bites. – This one, you have the right to sell it?
– No, actually, they are protected too. – They are protected. – Yes, but it’s not as strict as with siamangs. There are plenty of them like that in the forest. – If you see lorises like that, you buy them and display them to resell them?
It’s not you who’s going chase them into the forest? – No… – Come on, thank you for all this information. Lorises are protected in Indonesia. However, this trader does not seem at all worried about getting caught. – How much does your squirrel cost? – No, it’s to keep us company.
– Isn’t it for sale? – No. – Is this yours? – Yes, it’s ours. We find this kind of animal market in all major cities in Indonesia, even in Jakarta, the capital. The authorities do not intervene only very rarely, to check which species are sold on the stalls,
And wildlife trade continues to thrive across the country. In Sumatra, residents do not are not really aware of the risks, which weigh on the species protected by law. Certain practices have lasted for decades, and it’s difficult to change mentalities. – There is also another problem in Sumatra, especially on the coast.
The inhabitants have got into the habit of going take turtle eggs to sell them. There are 2 species which are particularly threatened. The green turtle and the hawksbill turtle. They are protected elsewhere. But despite this, we still see a lot of people in big cities, like in Padang,
Who continue to sell turtle eggs. Maybe we can check on place if they sell eggs over there. This large street located right next to the sea, alone proves to what extent the law is not respected. Shop After shop, Ferry and I notice the presence of sea turtles.
Of course, as these turtles are protected, their eggs are too. And if all their nests continue to be regularly looted on the beach, the survival of sea turtle populations of Sumatra will be seriously threatened. The relationship between humans and animals in Indonesia is decidedly complex.
The population is used to living in the middle of very rich biodiversity. She is not necessarily aware that a threat weighs on the survival of certain species, especially when the animal is part of people’s daily lives. This is precisely what we are preparing for to observe, Ferry and me.
We were informed of the presence of a monkey in a coconut plantation, located very close to the town of Padang. – Here in Padang there is a tradition a little special. Many people use monkeys and in particular pig-tailed macaques, to climb the coconut tree and take the coconuts.
This is an example in which man uses wild animals, to do the work for him. – But this situation is not as beautiful than we could think, where we would have a relationship every time harmonious between the monkey and his master. We go to a house where there is a female macaque,
Used for collecting coconuts. – What we can observe in the human-animal relationship, is that there is also a link with what happens in nature. Currently, nearly 80% of macaques who climb the coconut trees are females. Quite simply because females are more accustomed to obeying.
In the wild, they obey males who are the group leaders. Like there, she lives in the environment men, she obeys her master. – What’s her name ? – I just call him Macaque. – Just Macaque? – Yes, simply Macaque. You go look for coconuts just in Padang area,
Where sometimes you take the motorbike to go somewhere else? – We can both go very far. By observing body language, we can see that the female behaves exactly as it would in nature. She walks beside her master like if he was the dominant male leading his group.
When did you start using macaques for coconuts? – It’s been a long time, This is when I lived in Pariaman. – In Pariaman, did you already have some? – Yes. – We can see how much work men can become easy,
When they resort to a macaque to go look for something high in the trees. It is complicated… Those who use monkeys to harvesting coconuts, that’s how they make their living. But for the macaque, we are far from life which it is supposed to have in the wild.
Normally they should be in the trees in groups of 10 or 15 individuals. And above all free… But at the same time, the relationship that there is between this macaque and his master is very strong. I imagine this man would have a hard time to live without his monkey.
According to him, of all the macaques he had, it’s this female who is the most obedient. – The wisest? – Before, he had a male, but he fought with people. – Precisely because it was a male. – He said the children came to play with him and they were bitten.
– He says that since he started his activity, he had around twenty macaques. Often males. He didn’t keep them as long as they were young. When their canines started to become very big, he sold them because he was afraid of being bitten.
– Do you have bite marks on your arm? – Yes, look here. – He bit you to the bone! – Yes. So it’s really a big dilemma. He couldn’t live without his macaque. This is what allows him to have a job and an income.
I would like all the wild animals like this female macaque, can live in the forest and not here. But it’s not such a simple situation… To protect wild animals, we need to rethink the entire system. Prohibit their trade or exploitation, would oblige all those who use them to find other resources.
Visits to the animal market and in the surroundings of the city, show me again the magnitude of work that remains to be done in Padang. After these few days spent in Sumatra, I am now back on the island of Borneo. Thanks to Radio Kalaweit, we receive regularly information about people,
Who keep animals illegally. Hello friends, it’s 99.1 FM, it was Rihanna with Monster. It’s almost 11 a.m. and it’s time for Willy to leave you. Stay with us because after this song, your programs continue… And don’t forget to protect nature for our future. – Hello Will?
– Yes, a listener tells us that he knows someone who keeps a bear in their home. – Via Twitter? All right, It must have been shared on Facebook. I’ll check at the office, is it in the Kalibata district? – They don’t really know where it is, but They say it’s in this neighborhood.
– I’ll check. Thanks Will. Our listeners sometimes post photos on social networks. They allow us to specify the location of the animal, or the conditions in which he lives. This is the case of this bear which seems be kept in a very basic cage.
I decide to go straight away to the Kalibata district to get to the bottom of it. Once arrived there, the information is quickly confirmed. There is indeed a bear kept in a cage in front of a private person’s house. – It’s a 4 month old bear cub.
He must have been captured not so long ago. – Excuse me. Sorry to disturb you. I’m Shani from Kalaweit Foundation. I can talk to you ? I am from the Kalaweit Foundation which is partner of the forestry department. We take care of wild animals and we help them return to nature.
We just got the information that there was a bear here, and I would like to meet the owner. – If you want to take it, It’s good, but you will have to pay me back the cost of his food, and what I do to take care of him.
– No, I can’t do that, because people will think that Kalaweit sells and buys wild animals, and that risks creating confusion. And people will come with their animals to sell them. We don’t want that. – So I have to ask my husband, but he is not at home.
– When is he coming back? – Not until tonight. Come back later so he has had time to rest. – Alright. I’ll come back this evening then. – All right. – What’s his name ? – Babak Eddy. – Mr. Eddy Okay. Thank you Madam. Sorry for the inconvenience.
During this type of visit, even if seeing animals living in these conditions revolts me, I try to stay as friendly as possible. I have learned over the years that entering into conflict with the owners is of no use. So I try to argue hoping convince them to return their animal.
– It’s 6 p.m. and I’m going back at the bear’s owners. I hope the husband is home and that he will agree to give me the animal. I have good hope. We’ll see if it works. I hope anyway. – Sorry, i am late. – No problem. – Hello Sir.
– I bought it for 1 million of rupees this bear. Several times people wanted to buy it, but I didn’t want to. I agree to give it to you, but I am only a small official. Plus I had to buy the bear first and save money to feed him.
So if you want to take it, it’s okay, but you have to pay me back. You like animals, I love them too, but you can’t come at my house and just take it like that. You take care of the animals, but we humans, we also need to think about ourselves.
There is a time where I had more money. I had to save food for him. It all cost me money. If I had wanted to sell it, I would have already done it, because lots of people wanted to buy it. Ask my children.
If I had sold it, my children would have started to cry. If the bear goes away, they will be very sad because they are very close to him. – I understand. But first, I would like explain to you why I came here. I’m not part of the forest department.
I work for an association which is a partner of the government, and whose name is Kalaweit. What we do is go to people who have wild animals in their home. Some bought them, some collected them directly. – But if I hadn’t bought it, he would probably be dead.
He was a month old at that time. – Yes, but really, Sir, in Kalaweit, whatever animal we come to pick up and no matter who it belongs to, we don’t reimburse people. And there’s nothing I can do about that. It’s like that.
We must respect this way of proceeding. And I don’t work alone. Everything I do, I inform the forest department. – Yes, but imagine if someone comes tomorrow and wants to buy it. I sell it and then I have nothing else to do. – But that is not possible,
Because I took a photo of the bear, and I warned the forest department. So you are responsible of this bear now. – If I sell it because I need to recover the money, that I spent on him, I do not have the right ! Everyone doesn’t care that when I had more money,
I still put aside to buy him milk. Is it true or not ? – Let it be in 6 months, tomorrow or with or without a camera, I have no right to pay you. It’s unethical and it’s illegal. I’m sorry…
I understand your point of view, I accept it, but I can’t do that. So I give you my phone number. You think about it and I hope you will call me back. – Do you understand my point of view? We understand each other. – Yes I understand you. But once again,
I work for an association. I am someone who tries to help animals. I belong to none government agency, me. – Okay, I’ll give you the teddy bear. I would like to try to understand your program, but you must understand me. – I told you I understood you.
– I also like animals, yesterday I almost bought a wild cat at the market. But we must understand, you no longer have to buy animals. – He was going to die. Hold on ! This cat was going to die. – Yes, I understood correctly sir.
I just ask you to no longer buy animals. – This cat is going to die! – It’s better like that ! Why am I saying that ? Listen to the message that we are trying to pass. If you see animals for sale at the market, do not buy them.
The seller must surely have work hard to get it, and if he can’t sell it, he will think before trying to sell another one. The bear, when the poachers caught him, they killed his mother. If no one wants to buy it, the next Sometimes, they will hesitate before capturing him.
I can’t force this man to give me the bear. I am not sure to have really convinced him, so i try one last time to explain to him that it is illegal, and he takes risks by keeping the animal at home. I’m leaving, thank you ma’am.
Call me, sooner or later it will be confiscated anyway. And the longer you keep it, let’s say another year for example. The more you will spend money to feed him. I’m telling you because I don’t want to take you by surprise. I have to give all these information to the forest department,
So you will explain to them If you want. It’s their job. Now you know. You are aware. I’ll leave you. Thank you very much for having me, Sir. I’ve had it up to here… We only talked money, money, money… If it doesn’t work, it’s my fault.
That will mean that I didn’t succeed to find the right arguments and convince him. I’m not a policeman, I’m not military. But anyway, in this country, even the police are of no use, and I can’t do anything about it because there is hundreds of cases like this in Borneo.
And now I’m going home at home with an empty cage. After my visit to the bear owners, I am now going to the Sarno family who holds a gibbon. Same argument, same situation. The owner’s wife proclaims his love for the animal. This time I came accompanied by a head of the forestry department.
– Please, I want to keep it. – What I tell you, is that if you refuse to give it, one day the government will come get it back whether you like it or not. – I’m like you, I’m a lover wild animals and gibbons,
And I would like us to work together for the well-being of your monkey. I would like you to see the place that we give them at the Kalaweit center, before releasing them into the wild. They are in cages 6 meters high. We discover the gibbon at the back of the house,
Detained in very poor conditions. Despite this, we remain courteous. Our goal is not only to recover the animal, but rather to evolve the mentality of its owners. – I’ve been talking for almost an hour with Mr. Sarno and his wife. And I was also able to see the animal.
We see that the lady likes deep his monkey, but it’s not like that that we love a wild animal. He should be free in nature, and she should entrust him to Kalaweit. But I’m hopeful let her call us. I think she started to understand.
Even though gibbons can be confiscated without the agreement of the owners, sometimes it is better to do it in a friendly way, that people understand that it is for the good of the animal, that they must give it to us. Rather than having angry people who come to confiscate them,
Who don’t understand why it is important to protect it, and try to release it one day in nature. For 15 years we have been trying to convey our messages, on the need to protect wild species. And even though there are still hundreds animals held in captivity,
I feel like our work begins to bear fruit. Day after day in Borneo and Sumatra, the Kalaweit teams manage to rescue animals. After readjusting to their lives among the trees, some will even be able to find freedom. I know that our missions are far from finished. But despite the failures and doubts,
I want to remain hopeful that things will evolve in Indonesia. That all the inhabitants will learn little gradually to live in harmony with the animals. And that one day the wild fauna can live in peace, protected from men, in the forest.
5 Comments
ATENÇÃO E CARINHO QUE VOCÊ TEM COM ESSES MACACOS SÃO LINDOS PARABÉNS 🙏❤
👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍🌹💙🌹💙
Merci j’ai rien d’autre a dire que merci
Vous faites tout ce que vous pouvez pour sauver lla faune et la flore merci. C'est magnifique ❤ je suis d’accord avec vous Monsieur. Je me demande dans quel état nous laisser la planète aux générations ❤futures .
Ah croit que ils ton bàlise bomba mec t’es fou 😂🎉