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are shrouded , its interior mysterious and intriguing . The jungle is waking , its leaves rustling and its earthen bed stirring . Walking along the muddied trails in the national park is not a challenging affair ; the hills are tapered and infrequent , and clear routes are evident . I travel with a guide — a local wildlife expert with an eye for orangutans . It ’ s mandatory to enter the jungle with a guide : unaccompanied trips are prohibited . But even the most independently minded adventurers will have few complaints when their guide first points out an orange flash in the treeline .
Our first encounter is with a baby orangutan , his small , pitch-black eyes peering over his mother ’ s shoulder . Hanging high in the trees , he ’ s curious ,
AS WE FACE THE APE , MY GUIDE BEGINS TO SPEAK QUICKLY AND NERVOUSLY INTO A WALKIE-TALKIE . MALE ORANGUTANS CAN WEIGH UP TO 200LBS AND MAKE FOR A FORMIDABLE FOE .
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clambering over his mother to gain a better vantage point . She , too , turns , gazing nonchalantly at the gawping humans on the ground . The animals ’ extended limbs stretch between the wide boughs , as the sun filters apricot through the wisped ends of their fur . Human-like in shape and overtly inquisitive , the orangutans ’ name comes from the Malay term for ‘ man of the forest ’. Their kingdom is quiet , their domain once expansive . Now they ’ re clustered in a corner of the island , pushed aside as 50 % of their habitat has been cut down . The density of the population makes it easy to spot the orangutans — it ’ s possible to wander in from the village and stand eye-to-upside-down-eye with a baby dangling from his mother ’ s arm .
We move on , dragging ourselves away from the scampering infant and following the trail deeper into the forest , where we encounter a rather aggressive male orangutan . He ’ s sat in the center of a clearing , feet planted on the ground and staring at us unabashed . Sumatran orangutans almost never travel on the ground , and as we face the ape my guide begins to speak quickly and nervously into a walkie-talkie . Male orangutans can weigh up to 200lbs and make a formidable foe . According to my guide , humans should avoid contact with male orangutans on the ground at all costs . This one is
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From top : A wreathed hornbill
rests on a branch ; Mt Agung
volcano and rice terraces at dawn
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images : getty |
28 • pos t c a rds |