Ruben Sario The Star 23 May 11;
KOTA KINABALU: 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.
“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.
Rope bridges a lifeline for Sabah's orang utans
New Straits Times 23 May 11;
KINABATANGAN: Four years on and the introduction of bridges made from ropes appears to have been put to good use by orang utans in the wild.
Recently, a team of volunteers and experts from various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) led by the state Wildlife Department conducted its first "maintenance operations" to rebuild one of several artificial bridges here.
The rope bridge in the Sungai Takala area had collapsed due to severe floods in the Danau Girang and Batu Putih areas, prompting the department together with a few NGOs -- Hutan, Danau Girang Field Centre, Mescot (Community Ecotourism Team), Ropeskills Rigging Sdn Bhd and Borneo Conservation Trust Japan -- to rebuild the bridge.
"This is the fourth expedition and the first time that a bridge has required rebuilding," said Ropeskills Rigging operations director Simon Amos, who added that they also received assistance from the Batu Putih community.
"We are delighted to provide technical assistance.
"Our skills in rigging and tree climbing have contributed to the conservation of the orang utans and other primates in the Kinabatangan floodplain."
Danau Girang Field Centre director Dr Benoit Goosens said the orang utans, which were solitary animals, got trapped in forests that were fragmented because of oil palm plantations, preventing them from finding more food and partners to mate.
"The orang utans here become isolated as their ability to move around is restricted by rivers and man-made drains.
"They will naturally make their way upstream, along tributaries, to where the rivers have narrowed and the trees are connected. This will allow them to move around freely."
State Wildlife director Dr Laurentius Ambu said the rope bridge project, introduced in 2007, aimed to connect fragmented forests to allow orang utans to migrate to find food and potential mates.
"This project is made all the more special by the fact that the Japanese NGO (Borneo Conservation Trust) still feels that the project is important to be pursued despite the hardship it is facing in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami.
"Veterinarians, scientists and workers from Japanese zoos had also participated (in the recent operations)," Ambu said.
