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about
camp leakey |
about Tanjung Puting |
about orang utan
| map of
the park |
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You may not believe this after you
have been there only one day or two
days or, but after the third or forth
day something happens. You are
captivated completely by the purity of
the air, the openness of the night sky
with the most remarkable view of the
Milky Way, the magnificence and
dignity of the gentle orangutans, the
thundering downpours that instantly
cool the air, and the clarity of the
brilliant crimson sunsets.
Tanjung Puting is the largest and most
diverse protected example of extensive
coastal tropical heath and peat swamp
forest which used to cover much of
southern Borneo . The area was
originally declared as a game reserve
in 1935 and a National Park in 1982.
While the Park has checkered history
of weak protection, nonetheless, it
remains substantially wild and
natural.
Tanjung Puting is covered by a complex
mosaic of diverse lowland habitats. It
contains 3,040 sq km2 of low lying
swampy terrain punctuated by blackwater
rivers which flow into the Java Sea. At
the mouth of these rivers and along the
sea coast are found Nipa/mangrove
swamps. Mangroves teem with animal life.
Tanjung Puting also includes tall dry
ground tropical rain forest, primarily
tropical heath forest, with a canopy of
40 meters (120 feet) with "emergents"
exceeding 50 meters (150 ft) in height,
seasonally inundated peat swamp forest
with peat in layers two meters deep,
open depression lakes formed by fire,
and open areas of abandoned dry rice
fields now covered with elephant grass
and ferns. The tropical heath forest
which is called "kerangas" in parts of
Borneo , is only found on very poor,
typically white-sandy soils and is
characterized by medium-sized trees.
The best known animals in Tanjung Puting
are the orangutans, made famous through
the efforts of Orangutan Research and
Conservation Program, which is based at
the landmark Camp Leakey research
station. Tanjung Puting also boasts the
bizarre looking proboscis monkey with
its "Jimmy Durante" nose as well as
seven other primate species. Clouded
leopards, civets, and Malaysian sun
bears cavort in the park as do mouse
deer, barking deer, sambar deer, and the
wild cattle known as banteng. |
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Tanjung Puting hosts over 220 species of
birds, including hornbills, deep forest
birds and many wetlandgreen snake
species. Tanjung Puting is well known
for its "bird lakes", seasonal rookeries
for a half a dozen species of endangered
waterbirds, including the only known
Bornean nesting grounds for white
egrets. Tanjung Puting also has two
species of crocodiles, dozens of snakes
and frogs, numerous threatened species,
including the fortune-bringing and
highly endangered "dragon" fish also
known as the Arwana (bony-tongue). Among
the most flamboyant of these animals are
the many species of colorful
birds,butterflies, and moths found in
the Park.
Tanjung Puting sits on a peninsula that
juts out into the Java Sea. The
peninsula is low lying and swampy with a
spine of dry ground which rises a few
feet above the omnipresent swamp.
Towards the north of Tanjung Puting is
characterized by gentle hills and gold-
bearing alluvial plains. Maps of the
region commonly portray a ridge of
mountains coming down into Tanjung
Puting. This ridge does not exist, in
fact, nowhere does the altitude rise
above 100 feet in Tanjung Puting.
Tanjung Puting is a veritable hothouse
of ecodiversity. The diverse habitat
zones shelter slightly different fauna
and flora providing a great variety of
microhabitats for plants and animals
and thus, the opportunity for many
species to be present in close
proximity. In a Bornean context,
tropical heath forest by itself is not
representative of the largest trees,
the tallest canopy, or the most
diverse ecosystem.Tropical swamp
ecosystems are little represented in
protected areas throughout Southeast
Asia but are omnipresent in Tanjung
Puting. In the peat swamp forest, many
trees have stilt roots or aerial roots
as adaptations to frequent flooding.
Aside from its remarkable biological
attributes, Tanjung Puting is highly
important for the well-being of the
surrounding local human population.
The wetlands provide vital ecological
services such as flood control, stream
control regulation, erosion control,
natural biological filtration system,
and seasonal nurseries for fish which
are the major source of local animal
protein. Many of these services have
an impact well beyond the local area.
For instance, the waters surrounding
Tanjung Puting attract fishing vessels
from many different parts of Indonesia
. In addition, local peoplebenefit
from a great variety of forest
products including honey, waxes,
aromatic woods, fibers for ropes and
cloth, medicinal plants, fuel oils,
thatching materials, rattan, firewood,
incense, wild rubber, edible latexes,
resins, natural pesticides, fungicides
and possible virocides.
For the above reasons and many other
reasons not noted, Tanjung Puting is
recognized as one of the most
important and outstanding provincial
treasures in Kalimantan Tengah. The
national government has also made a
strong commitment to protect the
forest, its wildlife and to manage the
park wisely. Tanjung Puting has
increasingly gained international
prestige and recognition. As a result,
more and more visitors from throughout
the world are experiencing a fresh new
outlook on nature and an appreciation
of the tropical rain forest which was
humankind's original "Garden of Eden".
The following global
information about The Park male
orangutan
Excerpts from "A Guidebook to Tanjung
Puting National Park , Kalimantan
Tengah (Central Borneo ), Indonesia" ,
by Dr. Biruté M.F. Galdikas and Dr.
Gary L. Shapiro, published by PT
Gramedia Putaka Utama and the
Orangutan Foundation International,
1994. © All Rights Reserved. The book
is currently out of print and
unavailable.
Area:
3,040 sq km- the largest single
protected forest in the province of
Kalimantan . It is one of the largest
protected area of tropical heath
forest and peat swamp forest in
Southeast Asia .
Altitude: 0 - 30
meters (0-90 feet)
Temperature: range: 16-35°C
(62-95°F); average daytime
temperature: 30°C (85°F); average
night time temperature [dry season:
26°C (77°F); wet season: 27°C (80°F)].
Rarely falls below 21° C (69°F).
Humidity:
average Daily Range: 80-100%
Rainfall: average
2,000-3,000 mm/year
Rainy Season Time of Year:
October-April
"Dry" Season:
May-September (even during the "dry"
season months, some rain usually
falls)
Trees: more than
600 species
Orchids: over 200
known species (the most beautiful
orchids are often hidden in the canopy
of the forest)
Birds: over 220
known species with 5 endemic to Borneo
(many more species endemic to the
Sunda Islands).
Primates: 9
species including one great ape, the
orangutan; one lesser ape, the gibbon;
five monkeys, one slow loris and one
tarsier.
Mammals: 28 species of large
mammals including bears, cats, pigs,
and deer. A number of bats are found
in the area including the famous
"flying foxes."
Tanjung Puting is distinguished by the
following:
-
Blackwater rivers with
high acidity (pH 4.0 or less)
- Pockets of alluvial gold dust
- Major populations of wild orangutans,
gibbons, dolphins and dugongs
(manatee-like animals that served as the
source-material of mermaid stories) in
Kumai Bay
- Major populations of refuging monkeys,
proboscis monkeys and macaques which
come to the river to sleep in the trees
at night.
- Large populations of hornbills,
primarily including the rhinoceros, pied
and black hornbills which are the most
commonly seen.
- Rookeries containing thousands of
breeding wetland birds including
darters, night herons, white egrets, and
lesser adjutant storks.
- Only known populations of wood ducks
in Kalimantan
- Major populations of pheasants
including the Argus, black, and the
crested and crestless fireback pheasants
major populations of birds of prey
including the crested serpent eagle,
Brahminy kites, and falconettes.
- Major populations of the endangered
Dragonfish or Arwana, a "living fossil"
which supposedly brings good luck to its
owners |
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Source : www.orangutan.org
click here
to select orang utan tours |
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