CENTRE OF HOPE
The centre currently houses about 50 orangutans
of all ages. Most are released back into the wild but
a few can never return, due to chronic illness, major
injury or other issues that compromise their chances
of success. Leuser, a 20-year-old, is a case in point.
He is in his prime – a magnificent, mature ‘flanged’
male weighing approximately 100kg. Ten years ago
he was brought to the centre, critically wounded and
near death. X-rays revealed that he had been shot
62 times. Three slugs lodged in his eyes, leaving him
permanently blind.
Singleton hopes that apes in this predicament can
be transferred to SOCP’s newest project, the
Orangutan Haven. “We want to give these guys a
much better quality of life,” he says. “They can live 40
or 50 years in captivity. So we had this idea to develop
an island environment where they could touch grass
and rocks, and have the breeze in their hair.”
Singleton and SOCP found a 48ha site that was
close to the quarantine centre, among rolling hills,
babbling streams and mixed jungle forest. If funding
can be found, SOCP plans to create a moated island
complex and facilities for visitors, education, researchand training. “Most of the people who live in Medan
city have never seen a Sumatran orangutan in the
flesh. The decision-makers, the owners of the palm-
oil and mining companies, school groups, university
students, tourists – these are our target audience.”
Throughout northern Sumatra, the main danger
to wild denizens of the rainforest is clear-felling.
“Everything that crawls or slithers, even the insects
and mosses, is obliterated,” Singleton says. “The
orphans that we care for are the by-product of forest
loss. We don’t see the mother and father orangutans
that are killed. And we don’t see the animals attacked
by villagers in palm-oil plantations, or the ones that
eventually die of malnutrition and starvation.”
Scientists estimate that when a forest is converted
to industrial palm-oil plantations, over 95 per cent of
its orangutans are killed or displaced. “This is not on a
small scale,” Singleton adds. “It’s not a little plantation
here and a little plantation there.”
Later, on a flight into Meulaboh Airport, I see
expanses of palm-oil plantations stretching inland
from the seashore to the foothills of the distant
Mount Leuser range. I am en route to Tripa, one of
three famous peat-swamp forests within the LeuserClockwise from top right: orangutan
keeper Elvi Larosa hand-feeds a six-
year-old male; other SOCP staff treat
20-year-old male Leuser; Elvi with
three more orphans, including Bina
Wana, who lost his nose“A SCAR CROSSES
THE APE’S FACE- HE WAS STRUCK
BY A MACHETE
WHEN HIS
MOTHER WAS
KILLED BY MEN
CLEARING THE
FOREST”
NATURE