JAKARTA - At first glance, the baby orangutan looks no different from other newly born primates. His tiny body is covered with thick black fur, while his face is dark blue. Far from the figure of an adult orangutan known for its brown yellow fur and large nose that is its hallmark.
However, time will change its appearance. As it ages, the black fur slowly turns brown, while its nose will grow longer to resemble an adult hippopotamus.
The rare sight was recently seen on Curiak Island, Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan (Kalsel). What makes it even more special is not only one baby proboscis monkey that was born, but a pair of twins, at the Proboscis Monkey Research Station "Camp Tim Roberts" which is managed by Dr. Amalia Rezeki, a conservation biologist from Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM), together with Indonesian Proboscis Monkey Friends (SBI).
Amalia said the two twin baby orangutans who were born in mid-June 2026 came from the Alpha group female.
According to Amel, the nickname of Amalia Rezeki, the birth of twins in primates is a very rare phenomenon. The chance of having twins in primates, especially old world monkeys such as proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) in the wild is very small compared to single births.
The appearance of the baby orangutan twins was first seen when Amel and the team conducted a routine monitoring in the Camp Tim Roberts area.
Amel admitted that he was touched to see the amazing view when two twin babies who were breastfeeding were hugged by their mother.
"We are very grateful and have shed tears of emotion because for more than ten years I have dedicated myself to the efforts to preserve the proboscis monkey in the Curiak Island area, only this time I found the birth of twin proboscis monkey babies," said the lecturer in Biology Education at ULM, winner of Kalpataru 2022 as an environmental rescuer, quoted by Antara.
According to him, throughout the middle of this year, three baby proboscis monkeys have been born in the Camp Tim Roberts area which is part of the Curiak Island Proboscis Monkey Research Station, a habitat outside the conservation area.
Amel explained that the reproductive period of male banteng begins at the age of 4 to 5 years, while for the female at the age of 4 years. Banteng usually only gives birth to 1 baby in 1 season, with a pregnancy period of 5 to 6 months.
Baby tapirs are cared for in groups with a foster pattern, a kind of baby sister by the colony, especially by young females.
Amel revealed that the birth of this baby twin proboscis monkey attracted the attention of the world, especially from academics who are also researchers and activists for the conservation of biological diversity.
Primates that are included in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with the endangered species status, are now a lot of attention in the world, especially with the appearance of twin proboscis monkeys.
As Associate Professor Charles Lee, a Singaporean orangutan researcher, said, he had tears in his eyes when he heard the news of the birth of the twin orangutan babies.
Charles admitted to crying when Amel told him about the extraordinary "miracle", namely the birth of a tapir that was not only one baby, but a pair of twins.
According to him, witnessing the healthy growth of the proboscis monkey on Curiak Island was an extraordinary experience. This is proof of the extraordinary care of the SBI team and the villagers.
Charles hopes they have a sustainable, hopeful, resilient, and blessed future.
Meanwhile, Prof. Tim Roberts from the University of Newcastle, Australia, said he was happy to hear the success of Amalia Rezeki and her team in the conservation of proboscis monkeys in Indonesia.
In the message he conveyed to Amel, Tim Roberts said that Amel and his dedicated team had worked hard for the past decade to save the long-nosed monkey from the threat of extinction.
According to him, the conservation area on Curiak Island which is in the Barito River system has become an important stronghold in slowing the rate of extinction by providing safe and resource-rich forest habitats for proboscis monkeys.
The birth of twin baby orangutans, he continued, is a tangible proof of the hard work of the Indonesian Orangutan Friends (SBI) under the leadership of Amel.
The name of the Roberts Team itself is immortalized at the Curiak Island Orangutan Research Station as a form of appreciation for his dedication and role in the establishment of the research station, which also serves as a natural sanctuary for orangutans.
In line with this, Ikki Matsuda, Ph.D. from the Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, who is also a Japanese orangutan researcher, welcomed the success of Amel and his team in maintaining and caring for orangutans and their habitat in Indonesia.
According to Ikki Matsuda, the birth of twins in primates is generally a rare event, while long-nosed monkeys or proboscis monkeys usually only give birth to one child. Therefore, this historic phenomenon is considered very extraordinary and worthy of being shared with the public.
Meanwhile, from within the country, Prof. Hadi Alikodra, a wildlife conservation expert from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), said that the birth of twin baby proboscis monkeys was a gift from God.
According to him, this event is an indicator that the natural habitat conditions of the proboscis monkey are quite good and the feed carrying capacity in the environment is also well met.
He reminded that the next step that the Indonesian Bekantan Friends (SBI) team needed to do was to monitor the twin baby orangutans regularly.
On the other hand, Amel hopes that this rare incident can become a new hope for increasing the population of proboscis monkeys in the future. However, he still has concerns about the adequacy of nutrition for twin proboscis monkeys born from one mother, considering that proboscis monkeys generally give birth to one child.
Therefore, Amel and his team are trying to conduct more intensive observations so that each stage of growth and development of the twin baby orangutans can be monitored well.
Sustainable economy
Based on SBI data, there are currently 61 orangutans on Curiak Island. This is a far increase compared to when the SBI team first managed Curiak Island in 2016 which only had 14 orangutan individuals.
Curiak Island was originally only 2.7 hectares managed by SBI. However, now it has increased in size to around 10 hectares thanks to the continued planting of rambai mangroves.
Until now, more than 50,000 rambai tree seedlings have been planted, even some of which grow and form small islands around Curiak Island.
The location is not far from the Bakut Island Natural Park (TWA), a conservation area for orangutan habitat with a mangrove forest ecosystem managed by the South Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), the technical implementation unit of the Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystems (KSDAE) of the Ministry of Forestry.
The success of the conservation efforts of the proboscis monkey on Curiak Island has not only contributed to increasing the population of proboscis monkeys outside the conservation area and reducing the threat of extinction, but also has a major impact on the lives of the surrounding communities.
Every day, dozens of fishermen look for fish and shrimp that abound in the waters around the rambai mangrove area.
There are nine villages in Anjir Muara District, Barito Kuala Regency, whose people are now experiencing the positive benefits of efforts to preserve the ecosystem of wetlands on Curiak Island.
In fact, the Barito Kuala Regency Government and the South Kalimantan Provincial Government provide full support for the development of Curiak Island as an ecotourism destination of special interest, in line with the high interest of tourists visiting the area which is part of the Meratus UNESCO Global Geopark site.
The Head of the South Kalimantan Tourism Office, Iwan Fitriady, emphasized the importance of building awareness among local people to jointly protect nature and its ecosystem so that it can have a sustainable impact on economic growth.
According to him, the development of the tourism sector, especially in the Meratus Geopark site area, requires the important role of the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) in reviving and maintaining local values.
Thus, it is hoped that nature will remain sustainable, biodiversity will continue to develop, and the community will become more prosperous thanks to a joint commitment to preserve the proboscis monkey, the "Dutch Monkey" which is the mascot of the fauna of South Kalimantan Province, both in conservation areas and outside conservation areas such as Curiak Island.
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