SIGNE AND RAFALANG’S VISIT
Our Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) team in the southern section of the Kehje Sewen Forest recently had another encounter with Signe and her baby. The infant now has a name: Rafalang, which is a combination of the names of the observers who met the mother-child pair that day: Rangga, Rasya, Farhan, and Galang.
An exciting break
The PRM team came across Signe and Rafalang while taking a break near Pondok #2 before continuing their patrol. Scanning their surroundings, they spotted Signe and Rafalang resting in the treetops. The team took this fantastic opportunity to conduct an observation.
Signe noticed the team’s presence, and Rafalang even made a brief fearful sound. However, the baby quickly seemed reassured in his mother’s arms. Signe and Rafalang gradually descended to the forest floor, allowing the rangers to monitor their behaviour for about two hours.
After noticing our team’s presence, Rafalang quickly seemed reassured in his mother’s arms.
Enjoying the forest foods
During the observation, Signe and Rafalang displayed a variety of activities. They moved from place to place while chewing on natural food sources. The calmness of the day provided the perfect moment for both orangutans to rest beneath the thick canopy of trees.
This observation was also a new experience for the team, as they were using a new ethogram, a list of species-specific behaviours categorised into a table format. Despite its differences from the previous system, they quickly adapted and efficiently recorded the data.
Visit to Camp Nles Mamse
The following day, Signe and Rafalang again surprised the team by appearing behind Camp Nles Mamse. While monitoring the area, the rangers observed Signe foraging for food and finding tubers near the river behind the camp. She spent quite some time eating in the trees before disappearing into the forest.
Signe’s presence for two consecutive days was an unexpected yet exciting moment for the PRM team. We hope Signe and Rafalang remain healthy and thrive in the Kehje Sewen Forest, where they live as truly wild orangutans.
