The first rescued siamang entered our Siamang Rehabilitation Centre in January 2023. Now, in less than 12 months, we are approaching full capacity with sixteen siamang at the Centre and a further five currently at our Javan Primate Rehabilitation Centre awaiting transfer to Sumatra.
Working with the BKSDA © The Aspinall Foundation Indonesia
Collaboration is an important aspect of conservation and across our projects in Indonesia our team works closely with the BKSDA (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam). The BKSDA is a unit of the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia responsible for the implementation of natural resources and ecosystem conservation in nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries such as Isau-isau Wildlife Reserve where our first four rehabilitated siamang have been released. They also work to eradicate human/wildlife conflict and are often first responders to incidents of animals caught up in the illegal wildlife trade.
Four of the eight siamang transferred to our Rehabilitation Centre October 2024 © The Aspinall Foundation Indonesia
During October eight siamang, all rescued from the illegal pet trade, were transferred to our Rehabilitation Centre in south Sumatra. Two males and two females arrived from BKSDA West Sumatra on the 12th of October, and another two males and two females came from BKSDA Riau on the 28th of October. They had been confiscated and subsequently cared for by the BKSDA and are all in good condition. Now that they are at the Centre, they can begin the rehabilitation process to return them to the wild at some point in the future.
One of the male siamang, Marcel, on arrival in October
In addition to caring for the siamang at the Centre, our Aspinall Foundation Indonesia team is carrying out a full range of activities in Sumatra, based on the success achieved after more than a decade of operation in Java.
Volunteers help construct cages at our Siamang Rehabilitation Centre © The Aspinall Foundation Indonesia
Supporting university students is a continuous process and biology students from Sriwijaya University have been able to study the behaviour of rehabilitated siamang post-release at Isau-isau Wildlife Reserve, they have also carried out habitat surveys there, and helped our team through voluntary work at the Rehabilitation Centre by getting involved with animal feeds and building cages.
In addition to local community awareness-raising, we support the business community whenever possible and in September, the team was delighted to host PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) staff as guests of BKSDA South Sumatra. PNM is a subsidiary of the second-largest bank in Indonesia. It is one of the largest dedicated microfinance institutions globally, supporting around 14 million underserved micro and small businesses. Several members of their staff spent time at our Centre after a corporate conservation day carrying out planting activities at Punti kayu Nature Tourism Park.
International Gibbon Day 24th October 2024 © The Aspinall Foundation Indonesia
Another important date in the calendar is the annual International Gibbon Day, every year on 24th October. This year the team took the opportunity to organise awareness-raising at Kambang Iwak Park, near the city centre of Palembang, and a popular visitor attraction. Notice boards were used to provide information on the plight of siamang to enable people to learn more about this endangered species.
The new Centre is nearing the end of what has been a busy first year of operation and as siamangs remain one of the most heavily trafficked primates in the illegal pet trade we are sure this project will sadly be needed for many years to come.