The durian is a popular tree in Pasir Panjang , Central Kalimantan (Central Indonesian Borneo). The local people all seem to love its fruit. Throughout the durian fruiting season, the owner of a durian tree will sit and wait, all day and night, for his/her ripe fruits to drop. If the tree is not guarded, the coveted fruits might be cheekily taken by who knows whom! In the Dayak community of Pasir Panjang, trees are [...]

  Care Center   Dayak, food, by Tess Joyce.

This is my last Orangutan of the Month as I am leaving Borneo in a matter of days, so I wanted to pick an orangutan that I’ve bonded with throughout my six months at the OFI Care Center. I first came across Berman when I gave her an extra daily meal of “bubur”(porridge) made from mung beans in order to help her gain weight. Berman had been in the veterinary clinic for some time since [...]

  Orangutan of the Month   Berman, OCCQ, rehabilitation, by Tess Joyce.

The Dayak village of Pasir Panjang in Central Borneo is a hubbub of activity. If villagers aren’t working formal jobs, they will often be tending to chickens, growing vegetables in their back garden, or looking for wild fruits in the surrounding forest. Mr Henson, who works at the OFI Care Center and Quarantine in Pasir Panjang, is no exception. Every day after work, Mr Henson drives to his little chicken farm to feed and clean [...]

  Care Center   Dayak, farming, by Tess Joyce.