As the Sumatran elephant cautiously lowered her front foot into the mud searching for solid ground, her mahout gently cheered her on from his seat behind her ears. My friend Yekti and I sat behind him perched precariously on her wide sturdy backside. The constant, low slurping sound of thick, syrupy mud accompanied us as all four elephants in our trek lumbered up and down the hilly rainforest path with the sounds of ripping and rustling as our hungry elephants tore surrounding leaves from overhead branches.
The deeper we went into the dense jungle the darker it got and our mahout used his machete to clear the path. Yekti and I both laughed and made anxious noises as we started up a particularly steep hill. I could feel myself slipping backwards as our elephant climbed upwards and I gripped the bamboo handle with white knuckles as my body was pulled back. If I let go, I was definitely going in for a non-spa mud treatment!
Based at Tangkahan, North Sumatra, our elephants are part of a seven elephant team (one male and six females), that work with PHPA Ranger patrols protecting Gunung Leuser National Park from illegal loggers and poachers. Situated alongside the Kualsa Buluh River, Tangkahan was established as an 1800-hectare ecotourism location in 2004 with the help of Flora and Fauna International (FFI) and now local villagers have developed this peaceful jungle retreat into a functional, self-sustained ecotourism destination saving the rainforest near Tangkahan from development and illegal logging. Small-scale rubber and cacao gardens and the development of ecotourism provide a sustainable living for locals, a fact that may encourage the Indonesian government to promote more ecotourism growth in Sumatra.
After our sweaty adventurous jungle ride, the elephants were free to swim the river and graze leaves along the banks and our group of 8 hopped onto a chain of giant inner tubes for a relaxing, scenic float down the wide, swift river landing at a breathtaking pristine 30 foot waterfall. Our guides encouraged us to swim in the cool, refreshing pool and sit on the smooth rocks beneath the waterfall allowing for an acupressure massage on our heads and shoulders. After our swim we were served a lovely warm lunch of nasi bungkus on banana leaves followed by refreshing watermelon turning this day of rainforest exploration into one of our all-time best.
To reach Tangkahan, we had driven from Medan for 3.5 hours past endless miles of palm oil plantations and now as we drove to our next stop, Bukit Lawang to see the semi-wild rehabilitated orangutans, we were again shocked by the extent of rainforest destruction. Indonesia is the number one global producer of palm oil with over 6.7 million hectares of plantations as of 2007 and 92% of those plantations are in Sumatra. As we bumped along the dirt road in our uncomfortable 4-wheel drive truck, we all wondered how the unique Leuser Ecosystem, home to critically endangered orangutans, tigers, elephants, rhinos and countless species of flora and fauna, could endure when faced with the continual growth of palm oil plantations. Right now it looked like agriculture had the upper hand.
Arriving at Bukit Lawang, our group learned that we still had time to make the afternoon feeding of the semi-rehabilitated orangutans and we walked quickly down the path anxious to see these primates, who share 96.4% of our DNA. Two by two we crossed the river in a wobbly dugout canoe that the guide maneuvered by pulling on a tether line across the river. From the 1970 s to 2001, this area was an active rehabilitation center for orangutans confiscated from the illegal pet trade. Though the rehab center is now closed, Bukit Lawang has developed into an ecotourism spot, which supports the local community. These successfully rehabilitated orangutans have learned to live in the wild but still enjoy coming back to the feeding station for an occasional banana or glass of milk.
After paying our 20,000 rupiah entrance fee to the Bohorok viewing center, an amazing bargain to see an endangered species in the wild, we walked up the steep muddy path stopping to watch playful Thomas Leaf monkeys. We all felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation as we got closer to the feeding platform and when we started to hear rustling high above, our eagerness turned into knee-wobbling excitement as we had our first glimpse of a magnificent wild orangutan swinging down from the trees. Her agility as she swung her large body from branch to branch amazed us all. With a mixture of awe and fear, we held our collective breathe as more orangutans descended to reach Darma, the ranger, who sat calmly on a platform handing out bananas. Another ranger offered glasses of milk! One mother, Mina, with her young baby clinging to her long red hair, stopped to stare at us. Orangutan mothers are very devoted to their young raising them for 6-7 years before releasing them to live on their own. A peaceful species sleeping in nests high in the trees, the males tend to be loners.
We were able to sit quietly and watch about 10 different orangutans descend to the platform, have a snack and then disappear back into the jungle. But one orangutan was particularly curious about us and though hidden behind the trunk, her face peeped out from behind a leaf as she watched each of us sizing us up. We all returned completely inspired to do whatever we could to help protect orangutans and preserve the rainforest, the orangutans habitat.
Ecotourism is an important factor for the local economy in Bukit Lawang. In November 2003 when Bukit Lawang was struck by a tremendous flood of the Bohorok River, 90% of the buildings were wiped away and 300 people were killed. But since tourism was an important source of income, and orangutans the main attraction in the area, after the village was rebuilt rangers resumed feeding activities. Besides feeding station visits, it is now possible to arrange jungle treks with local guides, river raft trips and overnight camping stays in Leuser in search of more orangutans, over 300 species of birds, gibbons and various snakes,100 year old trees and the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia, as well as those creepy things known as leeches.
The Bohorok Orangutan viewing center is currently the most economical spot in the world to closely observe endangered primates but is still more of a ecotourism secret worldwide lacking adequate marketing. It is vitally important that Bukit Lawang develops into a sustainable world class ecotourism site bringing a sense of pride to Sumatra toward their natural resources assuring that both the orangutans and the rainforest will gain more support internationally and protection from the Indonesian government.
Joyce Major volunteers for the Ubud, Bali branch of the Sumatran Orangutan Society (www.orangutans-sos.org). Please email Maria@orangutans-sos.org or stop by the office on Jl Hanoman for information about SOS ecotourism project development at Bukit Lawang and learn how you can help. SOS also has information about arranging ecotreks to Sumatra.
