Liquid Gold: Urine as a Non-Invasive Method to Study Orangutan Physiology

By Faye Harwell, PhD, Recent Boston University Graduate As my fellow lab mates headed to Gunung Palung National Park last summer, I made my way to Virginia with several coolers of orangutan urine in tow. Instead of trekking through the jungle in search of wild orangutans, I would be studying orangutan physiology from the comfort […]



My First Experience Entering the Peat Swamp Forest of Hutan Desa Padu Banjar

By Mahendra, Bentangor Office Assistant/Guard My name is Mahendra and I am the Office Assistant and Security Guard at the Bentangor Environmental Education Center. My daily activities involve maintaining the facility and security of Bentangor, located in Pampang Harapan Village, Sukadana District, Kayong Utara Regency. During my time working for Yayasan Palung/GPOCP I have been […]



A Long-Awaited Return to Indonesia for My Dissertation Research

By Laura Brubaker-Wittman, Boston University PhD Candidate This is Laura Brubaker-Wittman and I am so happy to have finally made it to Indonesia! Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian government halted the issuance of research visas for the past couple of years. Finally, in June 2022, I was one of the first researchers to […]



Celebrating Earth Day 2023

By Petrus Kanisius, Environmental Education Officer & Communications Coordinator To commemorate Earth Day this year, Yayasan Palung/GPOCP carried out a series of activities throughout Ketapang and Kayong Utara regencies in the time leading up to the holiday, which occurred on April 22. This year was a little bit different, because Earth Day coincided with the […]



Following Orangutans in a Secondary Forest Area

By Sabta Pelari, Rangkong Research Coordinator My name is Sabta and I now work as the Rangkong Research Coordinator for the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (Yayasan Palung). Before I started in this role in January, I served as a Field Research Assistant for seven years. Now, I stay at the new Rangkong camp throughout […]



SMART Patrols & Wild Orangutans in Nipah Kuning Village Forest

By Edi Rahman, Conservation Field Director The Sungai Paduan Protected Peat Forest (Hutan Lindung Gambut, or HLG) makes up an area of approximately 6,788 hectares, most of which is peat swamp rainforest. This is a great habitat for many types of animals, including the critically endangered orangutan. In 2017, GPOCP/Yayasan Palung helped get this area […]