Camera shows #SumatraOrangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in #Indonesia
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“This was the moment we had been waiting for,” Erwin Alamsyah Siregar, executive director of Indonesian conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, or TaHuKah, told The Associated Press. “We are very grateful that the canopy here provides benefits for orangutan #conservation efforts.”
#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
He said that the bridge spans the Lagan–Pagindar road in Pakpak Bharat district, a vital corridor connecting remote villages to schools, healthcare & government services. But the road also cuts directly through prime #orangutan #habitat, splitting an estimated 350 #orangutans into two isolated forest areas: the Siranggas Wildlife Reserve & the Sikulaping Protection Forest.
#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
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He said that the bridge spans the Lagan–Pagindar road in Pakpak Bharat district, a vital corridor connecting remote villages to schools, healthcare & government services. But the road also cuts directly through prime #orangutan #habitat, splitting an estimated 350 #orangutans into two isolated forest areas: the Siranggas Wildlife Reserve & the Sikulaping Protection Forest.
#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
When the road was upgraded in 2024, the gap in the forest canopy widened, eliminating natural crossings for tree‑dwelling #wildlife.
“Development was necessary for people,” Siregar said. “But without intervention, it would have left #orangutans trapped on either side.”
TaHuKah, working with the #SumatranOrangutan Society, or SOS, & local & national government agencies, proposed a simple solution: rope bridges suspended between trees, allowing arboreal animals to cross above traffic.
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When the road was upgraded in 2024, the gap in the forest canopy widened, eliminating natural crossings for tree‑dwelling #wildlife.
“Development was necessary for people,” Siregar said. “But without intervention, it would have left #orangutans trapped on either side.”
TaHuKah, working with the #SumatranOrangutan Society, or SOS, & local & national government agencies, proposed a simple solution: rope bridges suspended between trees, allowing arboreal animals to cross above traffic.
5 canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of #orangutan nests, forest cover & animal movement. The structures were designed to support the orangutan’s weight—no small feat for the world’s largest tree‑dwelling mammal.
The program is closely monitored, with camera traps on every bridge & regular patrols to prevent forest encroachment. Conservationists hope more #orangutans will follow the first pioneer.
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5 canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of #orangutan nests, forest cover & animal movement. The structures were designed to support the orangutan’s weight—no small feat for the world’s largest tree‑dwelling mammal.
The program is closely monitored, with camera traps on every bridge & regular patrols to prevent forest encroachment. Conservationists hope more #orangutans will follow the first pioneer.
They waited 2 years for the first #orangutan to cross the bridge. Before the accomplishment, only smaller animals used it. Camera traps recorded squirrels, langur monkeys & macaques, followed by gibbons—a promising sign.
“They observe,” Siregar said. “They don’t rush. They watch, they try, they retreat. Only when they’re certain it’s safe do they move.”
Then, one day, he crossed fully—a first not just for #Sumatra, but for the species globally on a public road, conservations say.
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They waited 2 years for the first #orangutan to cross the bridge. Before the accomplishment, only smaller animals used it. Camera traps recorded squirrels, langur monkeys & macaques, followed by gibbons—a promising sign.
“They observe,” Siregar said. “They don’t rush. They watch, they try, they retreat. Only when they’re certain it’s safe do they move.”
Then, one day, he crossed fully—a first not just for #Sumatra, but for the species globally on a public road, conservations say.
Similar bridges have been used by #orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road. Conservationists say public roads — noisy, busy & unpredictable — pose a far greater challenge.
For orangutans, the stakes are high. Isolation leads to inbreeding, genetic weakening & eventual population collapse. Restoring connectivity gives them a chance to survive.
#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
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Similar bridges have been used by #orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road. Conservationists say public roads — noisy, busy & unpredictable — pose a far greater challenge.
For orangutans, the stakes are high. Isolation leads to inbreeding, genetic weakening & eventual population collapse. Restoring connectivity gives them a chance to survive.
#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
Once widespread across southern #Asia, the animal now only survives on the islands of #Sumatra & #Borneo. Fewer than 14,000 #SumatranOrangutans remain in the wild, alongside just 800 Tapanuli #orangutans & about 104,700 Bornean orangutans, according to #conservation groups.
“These bridges allow orangutans to move, to mix, to maintain healthy populations,” Siregar said. “It reduces the risk of #extinction.”#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
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The fleeting scene, captured by a motion‑sensitive camera, showed a young #SumatranOrangutan pause at the forest’s edge, grip a rope with deliberate care & step out into open air. Halfway across, it stopped, casting a glance down at the road below. Moments later, it crossed.
Conservationists said that it marks the first documented case of a #SumatraOrangutan using an artificial canopy bridge to cross a public road that had divided its #habitat.
@Nonilex it's comforting to see a government respecting the needs of others.
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Camera shows #SumatraOrangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in #Indonesia
A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of #Sumatra, conservationists said Monday.
Rapid development has been shrinking the #jungle #habitat of the critically #EndangeredSpecies, & fatal conflicts with people have been increasing.
#WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HabitatFragmentation
https://apnews.com/article/orangutan-crosses-canopy-bridge-indonesia-sumatra-9015f59ef2c9223e60ea7a749ff2a2ee@Nonilex They built 5 of these brides and have been surveilling them for 2 years with wildlife cameras and this is the first time an orangutan has crossed. That's evidence that this isn't a sufficient solution. This isn't a success story, it's a failure story.
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R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
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Camera shows #SumatraOrangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in #Indonesia
A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of #Sumatra, conservationists said Monday.
Rapid development has been shrinking the #jungle #habitat of the critically #EndangeredSpecies, & fatal conflicts with people have been increasing.
#WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HabitatFragmentation
https://apnews.com/article/orangutan-crosses-canopy-bridge-indonesia-sumatra-9015f59ef2c9223e60ea7a749ff2a2ee@Nonilex great story
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Camera shows #SumatraOrangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in #Indonesia
A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of #Sumatra, conservationists said Monday.
Rapid development has been shrinking the #jungle #habitat of the critically #EndangeredSpecies, & fatal conflicts with people have been increasing.
#WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HabitatFragmentation
https://apnews.com/article/orangutan-crosses-canopy-bridge-indonesia-sumatra-9015f59ef2c9223e60ea7a749ff2a2eeThis reminds me of that old joke ... "why did the Sumatran orangutan cross the canopy bridge?"
