Pusat Rehabilitasi Orangutan di Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (TNGL) Bahorok Kabupaten Langkat Provinsi Sumatera Utara Tahun 1973-2015

Abstract

Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. Acctually, they are found only in parts of the islands in Kalimantan and Sumatra. According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the orangutan species is categorized as critically endangered. The threats of deforestation, hunting, and orangutan trade have led to a decline in wild populations within the forest. To protect and rescue orangutans, International Wildlife Conservation Organizations, particularly orangutans, have agreed to protect these animals. This issue led to the creation of an orangutan rehabilitation center. In light of the aforementioned issues, the author conducted research to clearly understand the background and process of the establishment of the Bahorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, as well as its development. This research employed historical research methods and a conservation ecology approach (Primack 2014). The use of historical methods in research involves four stages: heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography. This research combination by the library research and field research. The author employed a conservation ecology approach, which focuses on efforts to preserve and protect ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources. This research provides an overview of the Bahorok orangutan rehabilitation center. The establishment of the Bahorok orangutan rehabilitation center was motivated by hunting, trade, and habitat loss, which have resulted in a decline in the orangutan population. In 1973, the Bahorok rehabilitation center was founded by two Swiss zoologists, Regina Frey and Monica Borner. In 1975, Frey and Monica Borner ceased running the rehabilitation project, and the center was taken over by Rosalind and Conrad Aveling. Then, in 1980, the rehabilitation center was taken over by the Indonesian government, under the leadership of Dr. Suharto Djojosudharmo. In 1982, the Bahorok Orangutan rehabilitation center functions were expanded to include conservation education. Since then, tourism has grown rapidly, and over time, conservation approaches have changed. In 1991, Orangutan rehabilitation in Bahorok was halted. Afterward, the Sumatran Orangutan Observation Station (SPOS) was established. Finally, in 1995, the Bahorok orangutan rehabilitation center was officially closed by the Indonesian government due to various issues such as the spread of disease, tourism activities, social disruption to wild orangutans, and other problem. After the closure of the Bahorok Orangutan rehabilitation center, this area was transformed into an ecotourism destination. The rehabilitation program resulted in an increase in the orangutan population, education, and adaptation for orangutans to survive in the wild in the TNGL area.