| It is a sign of just how much has been achieved at Matang in the last few weeks that we haven’t had a chance to update you!
There have been two main focuses over the last six weeks or so; raising our confiscated (female) orang utan orphan, Gus, and big male, Aman’s cataract surgery. You may remember that Gus was rescued from a tiny cage, after her mother was shot on a palm oil plantation, and she has been living at the centre and our house ever since. She has turned out to be a larger than life character and has built up a fan club, while teaching us all a lot about life’s priorities! She has been healthy and happy and recently moved into her swish new nursery den in the orang utan building. She lives next door, but one, to Doris (aged seven years) and next door but one to Aman (19 year old male) on the other side. She is in a stimulating, clean den at night and gets her late night bottle and early morning bottle delivered by room service. During the day she practices her tree climbing and general mischief making skills (she is excelling at both!). We have managed a few play sessions in with Doris, which are fun and exciting as Doris grabs Gus in interest and Gus grabs Caroline’s leg for comfort and Doris is capable of dragging them both around! Luckily Keith, whom Doris adores and respects, is always there to supervise! Gus has become far more relaxed with people other than her ‘significant others’ (Caroline and Keith) and has taken a particular shine to volunteer Annabel this month which has been great for us all, as Caroline was in the UK briefly. More of Gus in future blogs but rest assured that she loves ‘helping’ with any job that is going from making rice balls for the bears to giving Aman eye drops… So to our rather larger hairy orange friend, Aman and his ground breaking surgery. After a few hairy moments- such as the medical equipment being held slightly longer in customs than we anticipated, and Aman not really wanting to go to sleep for the operation- it has been an outstanding success, capturing the interest of the worldwide media (try typing ‘Aman eyes’ into Google). People who know Aman have seen him change from a rather large orange blob, reminiscent of the Sugar Puffs Honey Monster, who tended to sit in one corner of his den, to being far more active, and while not exactly doing chin ups or playing tennis, he is moving around his ropes and climbing platform and best of all, is looking very carefully at his surroundings. A couple of days after his op, he clapped his hands over his head, which we took to be an indication that he feels good! It was an emotional and wonderful day when we saw him, ten days after his op exploring his outdoor area for the first time, by looking rather than feeling. One downside is that it is much harder to put in his eye drops, now that he can see them coming, but we persevere! On a serious note: heart felt thanks to Dr Izak Venter, Dr Frik Stegmann (both from South Africa) and Dr Amilan (from KL) for performing their miracle; and to Chris, Ash and staff and friends of Jambu restaurant and many others for donations in money, time and effort and to Orang Utan Appeal UK for their generous sponsorship. As you may have read, the joy of Aman’s successful surgery was dampened when Lena, our new mum, just returned from the jungle, died. Her baby who was just a few weeks old had to be hand raised and our wonderful team of Keith, Matt, Laurence, and volunteers Sara, Annabel and Nick leapt to the fore with top class round the clock care for her. However, she tragically succumbed to the same fate as her mother (a particularly nasty and virulent worm that migrates into the organs) and died on 7th June. Everyone was numbed by these deaths, but I cannot imagine a short life filled with more love. Thanks to everybody who touched her life. While we are feeling sad, there is one more piece of sad news to share; our colleague and friend, Michael (store man and security man) died suddenly on 20th May. We miss him so much and will be sorry to lose his lovely family. Many volunteers will remember cheeky Michael with a smile… Other animal news: Chiam and Mamu (mother and daughter orang utans) are doing fine. Mamu turned three years on June 2nd and celebrated by escaping…again! Chiam has made a few more tools from bolts and string and keeps us on our toes as she uses them to ‘fish’ for contraband like hammers, drills, cameras etc… The bears are looking good with their improved diet and we are raring to start on the new enclosure for the four quarantine bears (more on that another time). The deer are fine…Little Leo is now about two months old and enjoys his play sessions with Gus; he stamps and kicks and she pulls hair, but all in good humour! The Leopard Cats have been seen ‘hunting’ treats such as raw eggs, cat biscuits in boomer balls and even cat nip treats from England! Gibbons, macaques, binturong, porcupine and civet have been enjoying frozen fruits such as citrus and dragon fruit and coconut milk. A last note of thanks to Keith, Matt, Laurence, Leo, Annabel, Sara and Nick for rallying together and coping with a string of sagas and emergencies that occurred while I was away. Until next time, then, Caroline and the Matang gang. |
posted by cb @ 9:29 PM
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This is the feedback from one of our wonderful volunteers. It is very moving and she certainly experienced highs and lows of emotions! We are very grateful to Sara for all her help and encouragement and for taking the time to share her feelings.
There are occasions in life when something touches you so deeply it changes your life forever. My month at Matang has done exactly that. The first week of our volunteer placement was spent learning the ropes, cleaning quarantine, making fire hose hammocks for the orangutan enclosures, painting murals and helping Caroline with behavioural enrichment. However the second week bought about a dramatic turn of events that will be imprinted on my memory forever. Firstly we were lucky enough to be present for Aman’s cataract surgery, the first ever on a orangutan. Although nerve racking at times it was an amazing experience to be a part of, especially watching Aman being released into his outside enclosure with sight for the first time. Then next we had to deal with the death of one of the orangutans, Lena who left behind her 3 week old little girl Thambi (official name), or Jambu as we all called her. Lena was released into the wild late last year but returned to the centre 3 weeks prior to our arrival with Jambu and although very tired did not seem visibly sick. Unfortunately though Lena deteriorated and passed away the day after Aman's surgery. So from here on in our life at Matang became an experience that we can never repeat, and the emotion felt is one that cannot be described as you look down to see a sleeping baby orangutan on your chest. When we first became a foster family to little Jambu she was doing well, a little on the thin side but eating and sleeping. As instinct dictates, a baby orangutan clings to her mother 24 hours a day so we became that mother and Jambu was always with one of us, whether sleeping or awake. Inflicted with the same parasites as her mother, a problem common to primates that can be fatal, we fought and fought for her going most nights without sleep. But unfortunately her condition also deteriorated and despite all the hours spent with the vet where Keith and I would sit with her all day we lost our Jambu on Thursday the 7th of June. An incredibly sad time as it seemed to us that Lena had bought her back to the sanctuary to look after her, but her mothers calling was obviously too strong. The bond I formed with little Jambu from all those sleepless nights and hours spent lying flat on my back with her is something I still miss but at least I have some amazing memories that will never be forgotten.. Not only did this experience teach us all so much but it has also formed friendships that I hope will last a very long time. Although there are times when you feel so sad for the welfare of the animals as many of the enclosures are not in line with western standards the dedication and care of the staff, especially Keith, Caroline and Matt give you hope that at least someone is trying to improve the quality of life for not only the orangutans but also many other species that in the not too distant future may be extinct in the wild. Labels: great orangutan project |
posted by cb @ 9:12 PM
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