Proboscis Monkey Blog

Here I Am, to tell you some news regarding what’s going on with this web site.
We keep working and collecting signatures, and I won’t stop saying thanks to all the people (a lot of people!!) who signed for Proboscis!
The site is a meeting point for everybody concerned about Proboscis Monkeys survival, a lot of students and children included, and we are so glad of it.

The latest news: our Hungarian collaborators group recently went to Indonesian Borneo, East Kalimantan, to check the situation there and visit one of the last places where Proboscis still hardly survive. Deforestation is destroying their habitat, but there is a hope: Mr. Amir and Mr. Whayu project.
Here is what my Hungarian friends write me once back to Europe.

Wanariset Sambodja is an important place of the “Ministry of Forestry” in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), where more than 220 orangutans are cared for waiting for their rehabilitation. Mr. Amir has worked with orangutans for approximately 5 years before the Proboscis project began. Now, he’s leading a little group of enthusiasts that are taking major steps towards the conservation of the Proboscis monkeys. He is well qualified for this role as he has a lot of experience and is an open minded person.
Problems regarding Proboscis Monkeys and other primates are:

- They live on the mangrove trees of East Kalimantan along the Sungai Hitam (Black River) where people cut these mangrove trees to build “fish pools”.
- They also live on the upper side of the Mahakam river and the river-delta where they face the same problem.
The aim of Amir’s project is:

- Most importantly to have Sungai Hitam declared as a protected wildlife area.
- They believe that humankind and all animals should be able to live peacefully next to each other and they are searching for a way to make this possible.

We spent one day in Wanariset Samboja where we went to the Sungai Hitam to see Proboscis Monkeys. We saw approximately 4-5 groups around the river. In the area closer to the sea there are already a lot of ‘fish pools’, but the upper river could be saved and protected.
Amir plans to inform local people about the Proboscis situation:

1) by making posters, which holds informations about the probs.
2) he already talked to the local people who understand the problem
and want to help, meaning that nobody is against the protection of the monkeys.
3) he visits the elementary schools in the area holding discussions.

Dear Cristina,

Your staff: Akos Peteri, Noemi Andrea, Revesz Csaba was visited in my
project location. I guided them to see the beautiful probs. There was a great journey and i hope they can tell you how necessary to save Proboscis in Sungai Hitam east Borneo. Would you please to write their journey into your web?

Thank you to concern about us. We don’t have any fund from goverment for protect thats probs. That why we have to raise fund.

The situation in Sungai Hitam (Black River) are near of settlement comunity
and for the future the local goverment has already planned to build a new
settlement and industrial activity arround the habitat of Proboscis Monkey.
The food trees of Proboscis is decreasing and poor so we have plan for
replanting the trees. We have to cooperate with people nearby to do that.
We must start with what we have now to save them an make harmony l
between human beings and nature.

Nederland Embassy for Indonesia has already visited this place. They said “it’s Great! We can meet the probs here after we did not find them in Balikpapan bay before!”

Oo, I think we have to make public warning boards, leaflet to give information to the people who walk or pass near the area. I have a probs picture made by hand draw. it’s nice but we have no money to make T-Shirts.
Local people near Sungai Hitam did not disturb the probs or eat them. They
are a Banjar, Java and Bugis etnik. But we have worried if we don’t do anything right now maybe becomes too late and more complicated problem to save the probs, because at the moment this place is an unprotected area.

Thank’s a lot

Keep The Proboscis Beautiful

Amir Ma’ruf
Wahyu Catur A