Bridge of Hope For Orang Utan
24/05/2011 (The Star) - The state Wildlife Department and several NGOs have combined forces to repair a rope bridge across the Sungai Takala to enable the orang utan to move about in Sabah’s east coast lower Kinabatangan region.
The rope bridge straddling Sungai Takala, a tributary of Sungai Kinabatangan near Danau Girang and Batu Puting, had been damaged during recent floods.
The repairs were undertaken by the department, the Danau Girang Field Centre, the NGO HUTAN, MESCOT-Community Ecotourism Team, Ropeskills Rigging Sdn Bhd and Japanese NGO Borneo Conservation Trust.
Hard at work: Danau Girang Field Centre students Danica Stark (left) and Rodi Tenquist preparing the fire hoses for the bridge
“The aim of this project is to create artificial bridges along the Kinabatangan river to allow the orang utan to migrate to find food and potential mates,” said department director Dr Laurentius Ambu.
He said the project was made all the more special by the fact that the Japanese NGO felt the project was very important despite the difficulties it faced following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
“Veterinarians, scientists and staff from Japanese zoos joined the team,” Dr Ambu said.
Danau Girang Field Centre director Dr Benoit Gossens said orang utan in the Kinabatangan region were fast becoming isolated as their ability to move around was restricted by rivers and man-made drains.
“These primates would naturally make their way upstream along tributaries to where the rivers narrowed and the trees above connected, allowing them to cross and move around freely,” he said
“Now there are oil palm plantations with drains that prevent this from happening and the apes are trapped in small patches of forest, unable to find food and mates,” he said.
Rope Rigging operations director Simon Amos said this was the company’s fourth expedition but the first to repair a rope bridge.
“We are delighted to provide technical assistance and our skills in rigging and tree climbing that contribute to the conservation of the orang utan and other primates in the Lower Kinabatangan flood plain,” Amos said.