Bohorok Orangutan Sanctuary of Bukit Lawang in Aceh Sumatra

Bohorok Orangutan Sanctuary of Bukit Lawang in Aceh

The last destination of my two-month trek through Indonesia was to visit Gunung Leuser National Park and the Bohorok Orangutan Sanctuary of Bukit Lawang in Sumatra’s Aceh region. The sanctuary is located just inside the national park. I stayed several nights in a hut just outside the park and trekked in to the center each morning to witness the feeding of the orangutans, as well as in the afternoons. During the day, I would join informal treks through the jungle for miles, that on one occasion turned harrowing. On these treks, we encountered released orangutans and even cobras! The surrounding jungle is one of the most biodiverse regions of the world and home to many species – among them tigers, rhinos, elephants, leopards, pangolins and cobras. Together with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed in 2004), and a Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.

The Problem

The Aceh region of Sumatra is located in the northeastern tip of the island, and has been home to rubber tree plantations for decades. But with the phenomenal increase in demand for palm oil to make packaged goods in recent years, rubber tree plantations and forestland have increasingly been sold off and deforested to plant palm oil trees. Palm oil production has been a large export in Indonesia since the mid 1960s, but only moved to Sumatra’s Aceh region in recent years due to the mounting domestic and international demand for the oil. As a result, orangutans who inhabit these forests have been left homeless with the deforestation and destruction of their environment, and are either slaughtered by plantation workers and the companies that own the land, or more recently, are rescued due to efforts made to remove the animals and relocate them. Rampant illegal logging, illegal deforestation, and land reclamation for these palm oil estates has rapidly increased over the years, and is destroying the natural habitat of orangutans and other wildlife, like tigers and elephants, that are losing their habitat as well. When wildlife loses their natural home they begin to collide with humans by wandering into human environments, causing conflict between humans and wildlife. All of this is decimating Sumatra’s wildlife numbers and the health of species.

Orangutan conservation and rescue has become more important and critical in recent decades with the disappearance of orangutan’s natural home. NGOs, nonprofits and environmental activists have been at the heart of these rescue efforts. Orangutans spend much of their day living in tree tops, feeding on fruit, bark and vegetation, and in the evenings, they build a nest to sleep in. Every day they move across the tree tops and build a nest in a new tree for the evening. But their routine in being sabotaged and their homes are being destroyed, and with nowhere to go, they can end up in deep trouble.

Orangutan rescue involves rescuing the animal and very often their offspring, from trees—evacuating and quarantining them, then relocating and releasing them to safer forested areas. In addition, domesticated orangutans are also rescued and rehabilitated. In most cases, efforts are made to relocate and immediately release healthy orangutans into other forestlands, but when unhealthy, injured or domesticated orangutans are found, they are instead moved to protected sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers in the area.

Palm oil plantation estates and owners not only are decimating wild lands but they are increasingly encroaching on protected forestland and ecosystems like Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh, which is recognized by UNESCO as one of the world’s most important ecosystems. The Leuser Ecosystem Management Agency (BPKEL) is now working hard to protect and restore original estates and forest areas by replanting them with a variety to tree types.

Palm Oil – Beware

Palm oil is very bad for human health. It is very high in saturated fat causing heart disease, liver dysfunction, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Also, burning rainforests not only causes greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) but fills the air with dense smoke, causing respiratory problems. All of this in addition to destroying many species and their natural habitat.

As consumers, please refrain from buying products made from palm oil. Check the ingredient labels, if the product uses palm oil, buy an alternative. Most packaged goods like packaged cookies, crackers, desserts, breads, ice cream, margarine, instant noodles, are made using palm oil. Ask others to stop using palm oil too — by spreading the word.

Sadly, deforestation for palm oil production and illegal logging operations has led to the loss of 90 percent of precious orangutan habitat.