One morning, a Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) patrol team made up of members Pel, Emen, and Jeje, along with our veterinarian, Dr. Made, went on a patrol along Transect #9. The PRM team located Bungaran, a young orangutan entering in his juvenile years, quite a distance from his mother, Signe. Male orangutans, unlike their female counterparts, begin to move away from their mothers and venture out on their own at a younger age, at around 6-7 years.

While Bungaran stayed in Signe’s vicinity, the interaction between the mother-son pair appeared to be limited. Signe was observed paying more attention to the baby in her arms. Given Bungaran's age - almost seven years old - it is little surprise that he has begun to separate from his mother and is putting into practise the skills he has learned from her.

Signe is an excellent mother and has done a great job raising Bungaran. His curiosity and skills are evident in the way he moves through the forest and forages for the food sources around him, indicating he has acquired a wealth of knowledge from Signe. Observations made by our PRM team have revealed that Bungaran consumes a wide variety of different forest foods. 

With mother Signe’s teachings and big brother Bungaran's influence, the newest addition to this family has some very good mentors to learn from in the Kehje Sewen Forest!

Text by: PRM team at Camp Nles Mamse, Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan