Nine flights, fourteen days

2nd July 2008

Across the sea
A relatively short distance from Borneo Is the Indonesian island of Sumatra, home to the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan and the next destination in my Animals on the Edge project. Despite its close proximity, my journey required three flights and an overnight stop in Kuala Lumpur en route to the city of Medan in the north of the island. The plan was to meet up with my guide in a suitable 4x4 and drive the 5-hours to Gunung Leuser national park.

Best laid plans
That was the plan. There was just one small problem … no guide and no car. After waiting an hour I decided to take matters into my own hands and hired a taxi. But there was a reason the original plan included a 4x4, which became very apparent as the city roads gave way to broken tarmac that, in places, dropped a foot between one section and another, where monsoon rains had swept away much of the road’s construction. We arrived bumped and battered, tired but alive. I stayed, the taxi driver left for the return journey, wearily shaking his head and wondering at the cost of a new set of suspension.

United with my guide, the next morning we headed into the park, initially to meet with the Forest Department officials before heading off in search of orangutans. The route into the park involved a 15-minute walk along the riverbank and a precarious river crossing in a dug out canoe. Once across, we hiked up into the forest to a feeding platform that had been set up to help the orphaned apes that had been rehabilitated and reintroduced into the wild. Although the position of the platform provided few photographic opportunities, it gave me a chance to familiarize myself with the habitat and behaviour of the subject.

Into the jungle

A fish-eye view
I had several ideas in mind for photographs. In Borneo, I had acquired a Nikon 10.5mm fish-eye lens, which I was keen to utilize, if I was able to get close enough to an individual orangutan. I also wanted to photograph the dominant male in the area, whose strong facial features and giant size made him one of the species’ most valued individuals. He had been proving elusive but my Forest Department guide was confident that we would find him during one of our treks deep into the jungle. I kept my fingers crossed.

The longest day
The next morning we set off early, led by the forest ranger and with a porter to help carry the equipment on what would be a long day in the field, in searing temperatures and high humidity. In the forest the orangutans are wary of humans, their confidence battered after years of poaching and illegal hunting – two of the reasons that have caused the Sumatran orangutan to be categorized by the IUCN in the highest banding available for wild animal populations on the endangered species Red List. The next banding up is extinction in the wild.

Throughout the day we saw a few individuals high up in the canopy, where orangutans, being arboreal, spend much of their time. I managed a few images, including, late in the day, a beautiful silhouette. But there was no chance to use the fish-eye lens today and no sign of the big male.

Two's company
The next day’s trek produced much the same result with the dominant male proving elusive. On the fourth day, however, we had a stroke of luck. Early into our jungle trek we came across a young male and female pair. Rather than being wary of our presence, they seemed interested in us and after overcoming their initial shyness they grew in confidence and slowly descended closer to our position to investigate. The ranger explained that these were probably youngsters that had been released into the park from the rehabilitation program and so felt some habituation towards humans. I decided to sit tight and spend the day with these two animals, hoping to get some images that would reveal interesting behavioral traits and, perhaps, a chance to use the fish eye lens. My patience paid off and I wasn’t disappointed, managing to capture some of the best shots of the assignment so far. The only down point of the day was that there was still no sign of the big male.

Rhymes and reasons

Where's the rhyme, where's the reason?
My positive mood and feelings of elation after yesterday’s successful day in the field were shattered on the fifth day. We received news from the Forest Department that the big male had been found, barely alive, with twenty-six air gun pellets embedded in his head and body. He was in the local veterinary clinic on life support and the prognosis was dire. I headed back into the forest to continue the shoot but my heart wasn’t in it and the forest ranger, usually so upbeat, enthusiastic and energetic was quiet and lethargic. There was little point continuing the shoot and we headed back early and waited for an update on the orangutan’s health. The news came later that night. The male was dead - and the Sumatran orangutan population was one number closer to extinction.

I had three more days in Sumatra, which we spent trekking in the forest in search or more orangutans. Photographically, the assignment was a great success and I managed to capture the shots I needed for the book. Despite this success, however, for me the assignment will always be remembered for the meaningless death of the dominant male. The aim of Animals on the Edge project is to try and gain an understanding of the rhymes and reasons that drive the perpetrators of the actions that imperil wildlife. Sometimes, however, the actions of humans are unfathomable.