Bankal: the story of a gentle giant
Meet Bankal, the dominant male orangutan of Camp Gemini, one of six orangutan release camps in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve, Indonesian Borneo. 2013 will be Bankal’s 10th year of living in the wild and from out of harms reach but sadly this has not always been the case for him.
Tragically he first encountered humans, as an infant, when his mother was killed and he was caught and sold into the illegal pet trade. Bankal was one of the few lucky orangutans discovered and confiscated by the Indonesian authorities. He was taken to an orangutan care centre, which was supported by the Orangutan Foundation and here he began the process of rehabilitation. Bankal’s gentle and intelligent manner made him a favourite with everyone who cared for him. 
When he was ready to live an independent life he was released into Tanjung Puting National Park. He adapted to living in the wild with no problems and rarely needed to visit the feeding station. Tragically, a few years after his release, Bankal’s peaceful life in the forest was shattered again. This time the culprit was illegal logging. During the late 1990’s and up until 2005, illegal logging devastated huge areas of Indonesia’s tropical forests and Tanjung Puting National Park was one of the areas worse affected.
One day in November 2000, a forest ranger came across Bankal in the forest. He was weak and lifeless with an open wound across his face and a horrible burn down the side of his face and neck. It is thought Bankal must have encountered an illegal logging camp in the middle of the forest and the loggers had thrown boiling hot oil over him. Bankal was rushed back to the Orangutan Care Centre, where he was given emergency surgery.
Despite all Bankal went through, he remained incredibly gentle and trusting. During his recuperation, he developed a unique way of protecting himself from annoying insects, by using a blanket to cover his injured face. He would only lift the blanket to allow people to feed him.
Bankal recovered from his injuries and was eventually released for a second time in 2003, but this time into the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve. Bankal has grown into a beautiful and magnificent fully cheek-padded adult orangutan. He is the dominant male around Camp Gemini and is seen from time to time and is still known for his gentle demeanour.
The Orangutan Foundation is safeguarding the forests of the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve and we are confident that Bankal will spend the rest of his life in the wild. This we owe him and the countless other species that share his home.
Massive thanks to Cathy Smith from The Orangutan Foundation for this incredible story, for introducing us to Bankal and for highlighting the desperate need for our Sumatra Trek Challengers to raise awareness of this issue. For more information on the Orangutan Foundation, please visit their website at http://www.orangutan.org.uk. If you’d like to help our trekkers fundraise for these amazing creatures, please visit their fundraising website at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1006056&pageId=223146. Help us help them…before its too late.
Massive thanks to Cathy Smith from The Orangutan Foundation for this incredible story, for introducing us to Bankal and for highlighting the desperate need for our Sumatra Trek Challengers to raise awareness of this issue. For more information on the Orangutan Foundation, please visit their website at http://www.orangutan.org.uk. If you’d like to help our trekkers fundraise for these amazing creatures, please visit their fundraising website at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1006056&pageId=223146. Help us help them…before its too late.
