Tanjung Puting National Park

Did you know that orangutan and human are genetically speaking, 97 percent identical ? Kalimantan's native Dayak people named this animal the orangutan because the primate bears characteristics similiar to those of humans ("orang"), Orangutans are also intelligent and are able to navigate their way through life by making use of things around them. For example, they use leaves as umbrellas to keep them from getting wet in the rain, use small sticks to fish out ants, utilise leaves as drinking cups, and make nests out of leaves and tree branches. Orangutans are largest species to live in trees and are endemic to Borneo, although their fossils have been found as far afield as China.

The Tanjung Puting National Park is best place to see this endearing animals, and one of the tasks of this conservation are is to protect orangutans, whose existence is increasingly endangered due to the dwindling forests, In Tanjung Puting National Park there also live bekantan   (proboscis monkeys) whose profile is used on the emblem of Dunia Fantasi, a theme park in Jakarta. Various insect eating plants, such as the the tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes SP), known as kantong semar, can also be found in the Tanjung Puting National Park.

How To Get There
Tanjung Puting National Park lies in the interior of Central Kalimantan. The easiest way of getting there is to fly from Semarang to Pangkalan Bun and then drive to Kumai. A Traditional boat called a kelotok will then enable you to explore the Tanjung Puting National Park are and take you to Camp Leakey, a site for breeding and raising young orangutans. Information on orangutans and Tanjung Puting National Park can be found at : www.orangutans.org