The Home of the Orangutans is in Danger, Please Help
5/16/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: The Home of the Orangutans is in Danger, Please Help
Source: Written 9:16 AM May 16, 1999 by mjvande@pacbell.net in
env.deep-ecology
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: May 16, 1999
Byline: Mike Vandeman
Dear Sirs,
I live in Jakarta (Indonesian capital) and had been worked in Tanjung
Puting National Park 5 years ago, as a volunteer to the Orangutan
rehabilitation centers in the park (not to Prof. Birute Galdikas of
OFI). Twice a year I visit the park in order to fulfill my longing to
the orangutans and all the flora and fauna in the park.
I have some friends who stay in Pangkalan Bun, the nearest town to
the park. We, who may be only 0,0001 % of Indonesian people who
concern about our tropical rain forest and the earth, just like you
and many other Westerners.
We are not able to mentioned any names in this letter since it could
be a danger for us (even though our country is in Reformation Era
after 30's years banned by the old government) if we are being known
that we have announce this message all over the world. WE ARE AFRAID
to be known.
We need your help to spread out this message or to contact some
organizations or individuals who care about the animals, rain forest
and future of the earth.
We are also need your help to contact DIRECTLY the ministry of
Indonesia Forestry Department:
DR. MUSLIMIN NASUTION
MENTERI KEHUTANAN REPUBLIK INDONESIA/MINISTER OF FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
Fax: 62-21-5700226
(Even though the looting at the park has been happened since about 3
months ago, but there is not action yet from the Minister. We pretty
sure the minister has no hear about it or got no proper information
about what is happening. As far as we know, he is idealism to the
nature).
We are asking for your attention for what has happened to the endemic
species Orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) and the tropical rain forest in
Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia, since the last 3 months.
Please read the message enclosed below.
And we would like to underline here that all of us here want to
spread out this message not due to commercialism aspects of the
Orangutans and the park. GOD KNOWS about this.
Any morality support (not MATERIAL SUPPORT) through this email will
be useful in encourage us to stop this disasters.
Best Wishes,
Pongo
14 April 1999
Since the last 3 months, the Tanjung Puting National Park and all the
life in it are threatened from a big disaster.
The logging activities have crossed the boundary of Intensive Use
Zone to the Orangutans Zone and even have reached the Rehabilitation
Centers: Camp Leakey, Pondok Tanguy and Tanjung Harapan.
The worse are happened at Pondok Tanguy: There are no more orangutans
can be seen! Where are they go?! (My last visit to this area in the
middle of 1998, there were still a lot of orangutans playing happily
on the trees in their natural habitat). And now, the loggers use the
Pondok Tanguy's pier to load/unload the logs and their equipment.
At Camp Leakey, the roar of Chainsaws can be heard everyday and even
getting closer day by day to this famous research center.
According to the friends in Pangkalan Bun (the nearest town to the
park), the forestry rangers are now afraid to walk deeper in the
jungle to control the orangutans or even to go to the feeding station
to give additional food to the rehabilitant orangutans. The friends
also said that the tourism guides are also afraid to take tourists
trekking deeper into the jungle and avoid encounter with the loggers.
The logging activities are freely use the pier of Natai Lengkuas and
Pondok Ambung (both are Proboscis Monkeys research stations) and
Pondok Tanguy for loading. And they do this under the sunshine/in the
midday! In the past, they tugged the logs in the night.
According to the friends, the PHPA (Forest Protection and Natural
Conservation, a unit of Forestry Department) has done some efforts to
stop the logging activities, but it useless since the "Connections"
who back up the loggers are too strong. There was also a team in
cooperation with the local government from Forestry Department
Provincial office to investigate this, but it didn't work at all.
According to the friends, the team was going home with "envelopes" in
their hands!
Even now, it is difficult to obtain any information regarding this
case from the PHPA or any body relating to this case. They are afraid
OR hiding and keep the information off and act that THERE IS NOTHING
BAD HAPPENED in Tanjung Puting Park!
The friends them selves are afraid to announce this situations out of
Pangkalan Bun. There are some people terrorized them to get their ass
"out of the business". Even one of the friend's telephone is tapped
(you can imagine how strong the "connection/the web" is!).
Even though there is an office of Orangutan Foundation International
in Pangkalan Bun, seems that they have no action (yet).
If this is not being stopped RIGHT NOW, we predicted that orangutans
will disappear in the early of 2000, the beginning of new age,
following the disappearance of the trees in Tanjung Puting National
Park.
The friends are still continuing to investigate and obtain proves.
They move silently/secretly. They even ask us for not mentioning any
names or address of them in this letter.
They are now working together (besides us) with an International
journalist for investigation but shown no result yet, so far.
Let's support them by spreading this scandal all over the world in
shake of the existence of the Orangutans, the rainforest with the
flora and fauna in it, and the earth, our home.
- Pongo -
pygmaeus@yahoo.com
PS: We are now taking some pictures of the areas. We will send them
to whom it may concern.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years
fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
http://www.imaja.com/change/environment/mvarticles/
More!: http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande