CORE BORNEO

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At the end of May 2019, our incredible Tuanan field team found Tina, who we have been following with her offspring (Taxi and then Tuk-Tuk) for almost 10 years. My doctoral student, Rebecca Brittain, contacted me to tell me they found Tina with a snare around her ankle. She was feeding and traveling and the long rope did not appear to impair her movement but it was hard to tell if the rope was injuring her ankle. While we manage and run the research at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station, we are not vets and we do not dart or capture the wild orangutans. We immediately contacted the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) who we have worked with since 2003, and sent them our report. BOSF (BOSF Mawas and BOSF Nyaru Menteng) arranged a team to come to Tuanan while our research team continued to monitor Tina.

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Our research team stayed with Tina to make sure we did not lose her (she can easily be lost and her habituation took a very long time). Rebecca and our dedicated research team spent long days and nights with her to ensure when the team of veterinarians from Nyaru Menteng (NM) arrived we would be ready. We did not know the extent of her injuries, but we knew she would be in great hands with the expert staff from BOSF Mawas Pak Odom and veterinarian Dr. Greg and his technician from BOSF Nyaru Menteng.

The NM veterinarian team along with the BOSF rescue team member Pak Odom arrived and went to the forest with our research team consisting of Rutgers and UNAS researchers, and our Local Field Team. The NM Vet Dr. Greg successfully darted Tina, caught her easily as they are professionals, and assessed her wound. They removed the snare, cleaned the wound, stitched her wound up, and gave her excellent medical care to prevent infections. They woke her up, monitored her vitals following their strict medical protocols, and released her back to the wild. We are so fortunate to partner with BOSF Nyaru Menteng and their amazing team of veterinarians. We thank BOSF Mawas for their rapid arrangements. Their rapid action most likely saved Tina from losing her foot. This is teamwork and this is conservation in action. We cannot save this critically endangered species without working together. CORE Borneo, Rutgers, and UNAS work closely with BOSF to make sure this population of wild orangutans is healthy and thriving.

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It is your wonderful donations to our research at Tuanan that enable us to monitor over 90 identified orangutans that we have been studying since 2003. Your donations cover the costs of these rescues, along with the operating costs of the research station. Thank you!!!!! We will continue to update you all about Tina and her health!

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