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indonesia
are shrouded, its interior mysterious and intriguing. The jungle is waking, its leaves rustling and its earthen bed stirring. Walking along the muddied trails in the national park is not a challenging affair; the hills are tapered and infrequent, and clear routes are evident. I travel with a guide — a local wildlife expert with an eye for orangutans. It’s mandatory to enter the jungle with a guide: unaccompanied trips are prohibited. But even the most independently minded adventurers will have few complaints when their guide first points out an orange flash in the treeline. Our first encounter is with a baby
orangutan, his small, pitch-black eyes peering over his mother’s shoulder. Hanging high in the trees, he’s curious,
clambering over his mother to gain a better vantage point. She, too, turns, gazing nonchalantly at the gawping humans on the ground. The animals’ extended limbs stretch between the wide boughs, as the sun filters apricot through the wisped ends of their fur. Human-like in shape and overtly inquisitive, the orangutans’ name comes from the Malay term for ‘man of the forest’. Their kingdom is quiet, their domain once expansive. Now they’re clustered in a corner of the island, pushed aside as 50% of their habitat has been cut down. The density of the population makes it easy to spot the orangutans — it’s possible to wander in from the village and stand eye-to-upside-down-eye with a baby dangling from his mother’s arm. We move on, dragging ourselves
AS WE FACE THE APE, MY GUIDE BEGINS TO SPEAK QUICKLY AND NERVOUSLY INTO A WALKIE-TALKIE. MALE ORANGUTANS CAN WEIGH UP TO 200LBS AND MAKE FOR A FORMIDABLE FOE.
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away from the scampering infant and following the trail deeper into the forest, where we encounter a rather aggressive male orangutan. He’s sat in the center of a clearing, feet planted on the ground and staring at us unabashed. Sumatran orangutans almost never travel on the ground, and as we face the ape my guide begins to speak quickly and nervously into a walkie-talkie. Male orangutans can weigh up to 200lbs and make a formidable foe. According to my guide, humans should avoid contact with male orangutans on the ground at all costs. This one is
From top: A wreathed hornbill rests on a branch; Mt Agung volcano and rice terraces at dawn
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