BOS Samboja: Hungry for More Favorite Orangutan Fruit
Text by: BOS Samboja PRM Team in Lesik Camp, Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan
March 2021 — Recently, we posted a story about jabon fruit, known formally as Anthocepalus, a favoured food among orangutans. But, jabon is just one of the hundreds of species that make up an orangutan’s natural diet in the forest. In the Kehje Sewen Forest of East Kalimantan, orangutans eat large amounts of the many delicious fruits on offer.
Read also: A Favorite Fruit Among Orangutans
Another favourite fruit among orangutans also happens to be a favourite among humans – mango! Wild mangoes, of the genus Mangifera, are available in abundance throughout the Kehje Sewen Forest. Mangoes found in the forest, however, are completely different to those that humans eat: They are sour, and more suited to an orangutan’s taste buds and dietary needs.
Forest mangoes
At the end of 2020, our team observed mother-offspring pair, Sayang and Padma. They were found sitting in the top of a dense fruit tree, after the team followed the mango scraps scattered on the forest floor below.
Sayang and Padma
The mango tree that Sayang and Padma were found in was situated right next to a fruiting forest rambutan (genus Nephelium) tree! What a good day for Sayang and Padma, with two fruiting trees to feast on! It was also a good day for our team members, but for a completely different reason. They were simply thrilled to be able to easily observe and collect data on Sayang and Padma’s activities and behaviour. By late afternoon, the team wrapped up observations, after the mother-offspring pair had finished feasting and were settling into their night nest.
Nephelium
Keep enjoying your freedom and foraging in the forest, Sayang and Padma!
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