Letters from Conservationists: Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program

My name is Selby, and I am a researcher studying wild orangutans on the island of Borneo. I graduated from Boston University and then came here to help the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program study and protect wild orangutans!

Orangutans are arboreal, meaning they live in, sleep in, and eat from trees. Orangutans eat a wide range of foods, including fruit, leaves, and even bark. One of my favorite parts of my job is studying orangutan diets by collecting samples of the foods we observe them eating. I then weigh and measure these samples in order to determine their nutrient content, and to better understand why orangutans may prefer certain foods.

Orangutans are sometimes called the “gardeners of the forest,” because after they eat fruits, they spread seeds around the forest in their poop! Although not as pleasant as collecting fruit, I also collect poop samples to understand which trees species they’re helping to disperse. Just as orangutans rely on trees, trees also rely on orangutans. By tracking what foods orangutans are eating and what seeds they are helping to disperse, we can better understand how to conserve their habitat to provide orangutans with the wide range of tree species they rely on.

Orangutans live in some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. I wake up every day amazed by the number of plants and animals that call this forest home. Through research projects like this, we can make more informed decisions to protect not just orangutans, but the entire ecosystem they help support.

From the jungles of Borneo,

Selby Vaughn

Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program

SaveWildOrangutans.org