Under the Canopy (chapter 29)

 

Chapter 29

When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future. 

Dian Fossey

The Cage

     The confiscated infant Orangutan was seized by the local manager, Yatno Uduk, of the Borneo Lumber Co., which operated just outside the perimeter of a forest-protected area of the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve established by the Indonesian government. The infant Orangutan had been hidden in an oil drum. Fortunately, an employee discovered it and reported its presence to the manager.  The orphan had been captured in a clearing about two weeks earlier when she and her mother were captured after the tree they were hiding in was felled, and the mother was shot in order to retrieve the baby. Whoever had captured the infant was likely hoping to smuggle the young primate out of the camp and later sell it on the black market, where it would join the fate of other exotic animals smuggled out through Jakarta under the blind eye of harbour customs officials. Buyers with few brains and too much money bought such pets in violation of common sense and with complete disregard for the animal's welfare.  It was a flourishing business and a great threat to the future of Orangutans and other species in Borneo. 

     Also fortunate in this case was that the manager had the good sense to contact Dr. G at Camp Fossey, who, in turn, immediately contacted the Agency for Conservation of National Resources of Central Kalimantan. They then dispatched two rangers to the lumber manager’s office to pick up the injured creature. 

By the time the rangers arrived, the infant was in great distress.  It was immediately transferred to the rehabilitation centre at Camp Fossey since it was the closest of three facilities on the island that could help the injured, traumatized and helpless infant.  Camp Fossey served as a rescue centre for such cases and also a halfway house for Orangutans rehabilitated and on their way back to the wild.

     Celine happened to be on duty when the two wardens delivered the infant to the clinic’s quarantine section. The resident vet, Lila Watanabe, quickly assessed the situation and shook his head.  “What bastard could do this to a defenceless animal?”  

Celine followed him and the Orangutan into the examination room, trying to be useful.  The Orang had three severed fingers on its left hand and deep wounds on its forearm.  “Whoever did this, said the vet, “obviously used a machete to kill the mother in order to get at the baby.  These wounds are defensive wounds and collateral damage.  It’s the baby the poacher wanted.  Let’s clean him up and get a few X-rays.  I want you to hydrate him and keep him warm until I can see what the X-rays show.  He paused, “This little guy is so far gone he might not make it through the night. There is a real danger of infection, so let’s also get a round of antibiotics into him as fast as we can.  Let’s move Celine; this is life or death.”

     Celine obediently followed instructions and cleaned the wounds while calming the injured Orang as if it were a human infant.  She could clearly see the infant was in pain, so the vet quickly administered an injection, followed by antibiotics. After flinching with the additional pain from the injection, the orangutan calmed as the drugs took effect. 

     Celine had taken to the Orangutans under her care while working in the rehabilitation centre.  In the absence of their mother, the babies bonded well with humans. Ironic, considering it was humans in the first place who removed them from their mothers, often by brutally slaying them. 

     She found the young orangutans engaging, adorable, and intelligent. Celine responded to what she interpreted as unconditional love from her fuzzy orange patients. It gave her something she was missing. She felt she had a special understanding of the orangutans’ needs, and they responded in kind. Celine was generally quite brisk with other volunteers who did not seem to share her gift or care for the Orangs as she deemed proper.

     The injured Orangutan was taken for emergency surgery, with the camp vet assisted by a staff member more qualified than Celine. Celine was clearly irritated when she was replaced by one of the local Dayak native girls, who, though, had been at the centre longer than Celine and, in her mind, was obviously less qualified.  The vet curtly said, Celine, you go attend to some of the other orangutans. I’ll need Ms. Achyar in with me for the surgery.”  

     Celine recoiled at the rebuff.  She was not used to people with dark skin giving orders.  In Montreal, where she grew up, Haitians served as maids and housekeepers. Celine thought, At least back home, the dark-skinned people knew their place.  Borneo and Camp Fossey are just not on the same planet.  I don’t see why, after proving myself, I have to get bumped as soon as there’s an emergency.”  She stifled her anger and submissively did as she was told by attending to one of the 17 other young orphaned orangutans currently at the centre.  “If they couldn’t see her true worth, she thought, that was their loss.”

     She swaddled an infant in a donated baby blanket, likely once used by a human baby.  She fed it a special mixture of thick, vitamin-enriched milk, carefully checking the temperature by placing a few drops on her wrist. She gently rocked and hummed a lullaby. “Hush little baby, don’t you cry, Momma’s going to sing you a lullaby, sleep little baby, don’t you cry.” The Orang looked up with trust.  Gently, it reached up to touch Celine’s cheek as it nursed contentedly from the bottle. Celine smiled back sweetly to her dependent patient, and said in a sing-song lullaby voice as she rocked the helpless little orangutan in her arms, “I should be in there with your injured little brother, not that little coloured bitch.”

      “Quite the domestic scene here. You look like a natural.”  Celine was startled and looked up quickly to see who might have heard her. Albrecht, her cabin mate, often stopped by the quarantine-rehabilitation clinic to visit with the little orangutans.  He too was smitten.

     “Oh Albrecht, you scared me.  I’m just trying to settle this little guy down.  We had quite a rush of activity here, so I can’t really talk now.  Dr. Lila is expecting me back to help him with surgery on the orangutan the wardens just brought in.  She’s depending on me, but I’ll see you tonight at the commons room, okay.  I got to go, see ya.”