Precious cargo contained!

This trip has already started with lots of excitement. I arrived in Medan, Sumatra late last night. It is extremely hot and humid. I am so happy that my room has air conditioning (and wifi)! After I settled into my room I checked my email to find an email from Dr. Ian Singleton who is the director of the Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Program. I will be working with him this week while I am here. I discovered that he attached a press release with the photo above. It said that the Medan police arrested three men that were involved in a car accident. When the police arrived on the scene of the accident (it was a bad one), they discovered three plastic containers in the back of their vehicle with three baby orangutans! The baby orangutans were between 4 and 9 months old and they were going to be sold into the illegal trade of orangutans. The traumatized babies were confiscated by the police and arrived yesterday at the Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Program’s orangutan quarantine centre here in Medan where they will be cared for and allowed to recover from the accident and stress of being captured. Their mother’s were most certainly killed in order to capture them. In time, these little ones will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild to learn how to live in the forest again.  I spent the entire day at SOCP’s office talking to the biologists and scientists who are all working tirelessly here on orangutan and forest conservation. Today was busy and very intense. The scientists shared so much data and general information with me about their battle with the palm oil industry – I am going to sleep well tonight. It is a relief to know that these three little ones will have a chance to live out their lives in the wild. I will be spending tomorrow at the quarantine centre photographing all of the rescued orangutans that they currently have there now. I am really looking forward to seeing these three little ones.

~ Jami Tarris