Reuniting with rehabilitated orangutans always brings unique stories for our Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) teams at release sites. One story comes from the PRM team at Kehje Sewen Forest. On a bright morning, our team encountered Mona, a female orangutan released in 2013. The last sighting of Mona was in 2022 near the Lembu River in the northern part of Kehje Sewen Forest.

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On that day, the PRM team was assigned to patrol the Emerson Transect area. The team followed the main transect toward the entrance, located right across from the flying camp, near of Lembu River. While walking along the transect and observing their surroundings, the team was startled by the sound of branches rubbing together behind them—a familiar movement that could only come from an orangutan.

At the first time, the team struggled to identify the orangutan. This was understandable because the team members on duty were relatively new, and monitoring in Kehje Sewen Forest no longer relies on transmitters. The team documented the female orangutan and after closer examination, confirmed that it was Mona.

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The encounter became slightly tense when Mona showed interest in following our team. Fortunately, she did not act aggressively, nor was she accompanied by any other orangutans. Our PRM team decided to observe her from a very safe distance.

During the observation, Mona was active, using all four limbs to move around. She was seen eating young leaves and the tender shoots of Etlingera plants. When Mona approached our team, they moved and went to the main transect near the Lembu River. This was done by our team so that Mona would not follow the team when they returned to the camp. However, the topography that goes up and down makes it quite challenging for our team, with cliffs and ravines on both sides of the path offering little room for safe manoeuvring.

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The observation lasted for about two hours. Although the team planned for a longer session, Mona's rising interest in them caused the monitoring to finish early. The challenging terrain also increased the risk of accidents. This experience provided valuable lessons for our PRM team, highlighting the importance of maintaining a safe distance during observations. Additionally, it taught our team how to think and act quickly in critical situations.

Text by: Biodiversity-PRM Team, PT. RHOI at Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan