the forest man

The forests in Indonesia have been burning for 15 years and are suffocating the residents in the area as well as the orangutans

For years now, a number of Indonesian forests have been burning. Most of the big fires have been happening since 1990, local farmers are burning forests to clear land for agriculture, logging companies are burning the vegetation to facilitate access to the large trees intended for felling, poachers are burning to drive away animals and the extortionist to be discovered, etc. burning plantations to clear areas for oil palm plantations , coffee, cocoa, etc.,

In Borneo and Sumatra, forests are burning, all of them are on fire - and there is no extinguishing, even the sullen rains that fall during the monsoon season do not extinguish the fires, and thus the cloud of smoke covers large areas in the Indonesian archipelago, Singapore is covered in smoke, so is Malaysia and Brunei. Drivers turn on full headlights at midday - which are darkened by the smoke, the city dwellers have "got used" to the continuous pollution that hides the sun most of the year and causes breathing difficulties and sickness on the scale of an epidemic, and losses (working days due to sickness) that are estimated at many billions.

Now the smoke is also causing damage among the "natural inhabitants" of the archipelago: the orang-utans who are already suffering at the hands of their cousin - the human, a continuous suffering, for many years, a suffering that manifests itself in wild hunting, exclusion from living areas, reduction of forest areas and even diseases. Humanity" that are passed on to them by residents (and tourists too).

The suffocating smoke is a double and redoubled danger, the monkeys run away from the clouds of smoke, when they escape they pass through open areas and are "ducks in the range" for all those "seeking their souls", even when they managed to go into the forest / into hiding, the smoke from which they escaped harms them and causes respiratory diseases and sometimes death, The conservation authorities report dozens of "forest people" who are driven out by the smoke from dwindling forests,
Over forty were captured and taken to medical treatment, many of them were injured by the smoke, but were also injured by people who shot at them while they were in open areas, or when they were looking for hiding and food in the plantations.

Despite continuous pressure from neighboring countries and green organizations from all over the world, even though the Jakarta government has signed a regional anti-haze treaty, the government is not working to stop the pollution.

In Indonesia there are (still) 140 species of mammals that are in danger of extinction. According to the "World Conservation Organization" this is the world's largest concentration of endangered species, less than 60 thousand "forest people" live in an area that is getting smaller and smaller. 90% of their habitat has already been destroyed, so despite conservation activities and return to the wild (two months ago 40 monkeys were released in the forest) without real cooperation from the government and the residents, by the end of the next decade our "cousins" will disappear from our world, there will be no more forest people. Too bad.

Relearning to be monkeys

Illegal animal trade brings the Indonesian orang-utang to private homes, which are not suitable for it. In a reserve in Sumatra they teach him to swing from trees.

The Indonesian orang-utang is one of 17 species of apes that were illegally hunted, sold as pets - and are now re-learning to adapt to life in the wild, thanks to the Sumatra Orang-utang Rehabilitation Program, in the Indonesian province of Sumatra. "We confiscated most of the orangutans in the reserve from private homes"

Most of the apes in the reserve need an exercise program to strengthen their muscles, so they can go back to swinging between the forest trees. They spend six months to a year at the isolated center, then are released into the wild at Bukit Tiga Polo National Park in Jambi Province.

Many of the Indonesian orangutans have been smuggled to other countries throughout Asia and Europe, and Indonesia is making a protracted effort to repatriate them. Indonesia's primate population is rapidly dwindling, as their habitats are damaged by illegal construction, forest fires, abduction of young cubs and the illegal animal trade.

Dr. Assaf Rosenthal,
Tour guide/leader in Africa and South America.
For details, tel. 0505640309 / 077-6172298,
Email assaf@eilatcity.co.il