steaming towards Kumai

On our third day we started to see signs of what we came half way around the world for - Camp Leakey - as we steamed toward the port city of Kumai.  

Entrance to the river which leads to Camp Leakey

We also saw signs of the major threat to the orangutan; removal of the rainforest to make way for palm oil plantations. This is 

not a good photo, but that is a really large barge full of what used to be trees in the rainforest and the lifeblood of the orang utan.

Deforestation on a large scale

We had to hold off for the tide to rise and allow us to cross the sandbar - it is a very narrow window of time. On arrival we heard speakers 

broadcasting the call of, and the natural sound of, hundreds of swiftlets arriving to enter the many large concrete bunkers lining the 

shore. These buildings provide a man-made place for the birds to nest and for those nests to be harvested. Normally these birds 

nest in deep caves which are very hard to get at and as such make for a rare and very expensive ingredient for Chinese bird-nest 

soup. The number of swiflets has dwindled significantly due to the steady harvest of natural nesting sites. As the demand and 

substantial income that can be earned from this commodity is growing some enterprising people came up with this makeshift solution. 

Is this a sustainable solution for the birds? It seems another case of humans messing with nature for profit. This provides a safe and 

accessible income for the people of Borneo, who have lost other sources of income, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the swiflet population and the balance with other species.

makeshift swiflet caves - bird's nest soup

We were warmly greeted by the people of Kumai along with representatives of Orangutan Foundation International. We were then treated to a wonderful performance by local youth of music, dance and martial arts. It was lovely.

local welcome

welcomed by OFI representatives

fruit and coconut treats while watching the show

the musicians

We were then treated to a wonderful performance by local youth of music, dance and martial arts. It was lovely.

and the dancers

and the martial arts