Post B5k4tJpHDvuFICkTiK by ChrisHolladay@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by ChrisHolladay@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #B5k4WVq6OOONtIGAgi by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:00:56Z
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Camera shows #SumatraOrangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in #IndonesiaA Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of #Sumatra, conservationists said Monday. Rapid development has been shrinking the #jungle #habitat of the critically #EndangeredSpecies, & fatal conflicts with people have been increasing. #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HabitatFragmentation https://apnews.com/article/orangutan-crosses-canopy-bridge-indonesia-sumatra-9015f59ef2c9223e60ea7a749ff2a2ee
(DIR) Post #B5k4kY079XL8eHdS52 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:03:28Z
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The fleeting scene, captured by a motion‑sensitive camera, showed a young #SumatranOrangutan pause at the forest’s edge, grip a rope with deliberate care & step out into open air. Halfway across, it stopped, casting a glance down at the road below. Moments later, it crossed.Conservationists said that it marks the first documented case of a #SumatraOrangutan using an artificial canopy bridge to cross a public road that had divided its #habitat.#WildlifeConservation #HabitatFragmentation
(DIR) Post #B5k4tJpHDvuFICkTiK by ChrisHolladay@mastodon.social
2026-04-28T05:05:01Z
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@Nonilex Wow!!!
(DIR) Post #B5k4v6dlDdeGydDLfs by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:05:23Z
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“This was the moment we had been waiting for,” Erwin Alamsyah Siregar, executive director of Indonesian conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, or TaHuKah, told The Associated Press. “We are very grateful that the canopy here provides benefits for orangutan #conservation efforts.”#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
(DIR) Post #B5k52qxXP8fyey9v8q by noondlyt@hellions.cloud
2026-04-28T05:06:46Z
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@Nonilex Thank you for posting this story!
(DIR) Post #B5k54hqmF6bCzIse4O by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:07:07Z
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He said that the bridge spans the Lagan–Pagindar road in Pakpak Bharat district, a vital corridor connecting remote villages to schools, healthcare & government services. But the road also cuts directly through prime #orangutan #habitat, splitting an estimated 350 #orangutans into two isolated forest areas: the Siranggas Wildlife Reserve & the Sikulaping Protection Forest.#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
(DIR) Post #B5k5HuXyLdC089Ngxs by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:09:30Z
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When the road was upgraded in 2024, the gap in the forest canopy widened, eliminating natural crossings for tree‑dwelling #wildlife.“Development was necessary for people,” Siregar said. “But without intervention, it would have left #orangutans trapped on either side.”TaHuKah, working with the #SumatranOrangutan Society, or SOS, & local & national government agencies, proposed a simple solution: rope bridges suspended between trees, allowing arboreal animals to cross above traffic.
(DIR) Post #B5k5XWiOiohUqnhgbg by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:12:19Z
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5 canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap, carefully positioned after surveys of #orangutan nests, forest cover & animal movement. The structures were designed to support the orangutan’s weight—no small feat for the world’s largest tree‑dwelling mammal.The program is closely monitored, with camera traps on every bridge & regular patrols to prevent forest encroachment. Conservationists hope more #orangutans will follow the first pioneer.#SumatraOrangutan #conservation #wildlife
(DIR) Post #B5k5in97yIoyzpZtB2 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:14:21Z
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They waited 2 years for the first #orangutan to cross the bridge. Before the accomplishment, only smaller animals used it. Camera traps recorded squirrels, langur monkeys & macaques, followed by gibbons—a promising sign.“They observe,” Siregar said. “They don’t rush. They watch, they try, they retreat. Only when they’re certain it’s safe do they move.”Then, one day, he crossed fully—a first not just for #Sumatra, but for the species globally on a public road, conservations say.#wildlife
(DIR) Post #B5k5t1YvECAMbQWRP6 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:16:12Z
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Similar bridges have been used by #orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road. Conservationists say public roads — noisy, busy & unpredictable — pose a far greater challenge.For orangutans, the stakes are high. Isolation leads to inbreeding, genetic weakening & eventual population collapse. Restoring connectivity gives them a chance to survive.#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #wildlife #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
(DIR) Post #B5k69F5chWTfBsYFP6 by Nonilex@masto.ai
2026-04-28T05:19:08Z
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Once widespread across southern #Asia, the animal now only survives on the islands of #Sumatra & #Borneo. Fewer than 14,000 #SumatranOrangutans remain in the wild, alongside just 800 Tapanuli #orangutans & about 104,700 Bornean orangutans, according to #conservation groups.“These bridges allow orangutans to move, to mix, to maintain healthy populations,” Siregar said. “It reduces the risk of #extinction.”#SumatraOrangutan #WildlifeConservation #habitat #HumanEncroachment #HabitatFragmentation
(DIR) Post #B5k6VpBNBovrV80bjc by pg1958@mastodon.sdf.org
2026-04-28T05:23:10Z
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@Nonilex it's comforting to see a government respecting the needs of others.
(DIR) Post #B5kVnatVY6MxFnDquO by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
2026-04-28T10:06:30Z
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@Nonilex They built 5 of these brides and have been surveilling them for 2 years with wildlife cameras and this is the first time an orangutan has crossed. That's evidence that this isn't a sufficient solution. This isn't a success story, it's a failure story.
(DIR) Post #B5kslHhoDduG6jcNyy by Micritone45@toot.community
2026-04-28T14:23:49Z
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@Nonilex great story
(DIR) Post #B5lO1rRyBdDgBCas7s by jmcrookston@mastodon.social
2026-04-28T20:14:10Z
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@Nonilex This reminds me of that old joke ... "why did the Sumatran orangutan cross the canopy bridge?"