He smiled and said: “They know that if they ever speak, the government will put them to work”. He informed us that orangutans are capable of speech, but choose not to speak. They tell us that we humans are also proud members of this family.Įffendi also took advantage of the controversial research that asserts that the genetic make-up of the greater apes is 98% identical to that of humans. This family also includes three African apes, the Gorilla, the Common Chimpanzee, and the Pygmy Chimpanzee or Bonobo. The Orangutan is one of the Great Apes, a member of the Hominidae Family. In fact, the English word ‘orangutan’ is really a Bahasa Indonesia contraction of ‘orang’ and ‘hutan’, meaning ‘people of the forest’. I had not realized that there are only two orangutan species in the world – the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus), and the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo Abelii). Effendi’s job was to entertain and inform us on the three-hour drive from Medan to Bukit Lawang, a village that borders the national park.Įffendi gave us a little history of the orangutans. As we emerged through the airport exit gate we were met by Pak Effendi, who would be our tour guide. Somehow we struggled through the crowd to grab our bags off the carousel.
Why is it we still cannot bring an aircraft to a ‘jet smooth’ landing? The luggage collection room at Medan could be described as frantic chaos. The rough landing at the Polonia International Airport in Medan made me wonder about the advances in technology that can send humans into space. The park is almost completely within the borders of North Sumatra, but it extends into Aceh province in the north and touches into West Sumatra province in the south.
Michael and I were on our way to the Gunung Leuser National Park to spend some time with the Sumatran Orangutan. Our mission was to entertain ourselves while our wives did important work on improving the education of expat children of the Human species. In September 2011, Michael Ingram and I flew from Pekanbaru to Medan, North Sumatra. Could this large and limber orangutan and I share a history? Are we somehow related? I had to know. I looked into Suma’s eyes, searching for a sign of recognition.
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