We are pleased to announce that Indy, the 20-year-old wild Bornean orangutan in Sebangau National Park, is recently identified pregnant by our primate scientists at the Natural Laboratory of Peat-swamp Forest (NLPSF).
The pregnancy test was carried out by testing Indy’s urine samples that were collected after several follows in the forest. Based on the result, the indicator of the test kit has made strong evidence of Indy’s pregnancy. It was Keto, the flanged male orangutan, that was found mating with Indy.
“The pregnancy is pretty obvious. We saw Indy while resting in the tree, she seems to have a huge belly. Then, we tried to take her urine samples to make sure whether she’s pregnant or not” said Axel, the orangutan scientist.
This is the second pregnancy of this first daughter of Indah, Indy’s mother, after her first offspring, Icarus, was born in 2012. Until now, Icarus was still observed to maintain close proximity with her mother, Indy. This young male orangutan went viral on the video after he attempted to take a selfie picture by using our camera trap that was placed on the tree (click here to watch the video).
Many scientists have reported that the offsprings of orangutans will start to be independent and travel alone after they are about 8-10 years old. It then leads to a scientific assumption that the child-mother connection in orangutan culture is very strong.
Photo by Axel Martinez Luiz | BNF | UPT LLG CIMTROP
Indy’s pregnancy has multiplied our happiness this year after a few months ago we got the same good news from Georgia who was also found pregnant. We are happy because this proves that our conservation effort in the majestic forest of Borneo has led to a positive outcome. In the next few months, we are going to welcome the new generations of the orangutan in Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest, the legacies of Indy and Georgia.
Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) have been listed as critically endangered and may not be as lucky as their Sumatran cousins. The recent dissemination that Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) attended along with other organizations, stakeholders, government sectors, companies, and academic institutions themed Orangutan in Multifunctional Landscapes shows a worrying status of this arboreal mammals as not less than 80% of their population in Kalimantan are found in unprotected zones.
They are forced out of their natural habitat due to the expansion of the business in palm oil and mining, massive construction projects, and human settlements. These factors have a huge potential for the orangutan declining population if no positive measures are taken.
As one of the largest and the last remaining peat-swamp forests in Borneo, the conservation efforts in the Sebangau National Park are very important. The forest is home to over 6,000 wild orangutans with a stable population trend according to 2016’s Orangutan Population and Habitat Viability Assessment.
In Sebangau National Park, BNF has carried out in-depth studies of Bornean primates; gibbon, red langur, and orangutan to understand various issues that later can be used to support the conservation planning in multi-use landscapes. In addition to that research activities, our conservation efforts also focus on habitat restoration activities by damming the illegal logging canals and reforesting the burnt areas inside and outside the forest. The steps are taken to provide access to the ideal forest habitat not only to the Bornean primates but also to hundreds of other wildlife creatures in Sebangau National Park.
You can support our conservation efforts in order to prepare the home for the new baby orangutan in Sebangau National Park, click here to donate.
