Stabat: - 19 tails of Long Tailed Macaques (LTM)/Macaca fascicularis got a second chance to live in the wild. Scorpion Indonesia Foundation and the North Sumatra provincial wildlife authority (BBKSDASU) released these macaques in Karang Gading Wildlife Reserve on Thursday, the 25th of September 2025.
As soon as the transport cage doors were opened, most of macaques immediately jumped out cheerfully and found the nearest tree to climb. Surprisingly, some didn't leave the cage immediately, but instead stayed close to the animal keepers who usually took care of their food and drinking water. A few minutes later, they realized they had regained their freedom to live in the wild and finally all the macaques moved away and quickly climbed nearby trees.
Before being released, the 19 long-tailed macaques underwent
a quarantine process that included medical check-ups, veterinary care,
laboratory testing, and rehabilitation. Their blood and feces were tested in
the laboratory to ensure they were disease-free before being returned to the
wild. This is an effort to prevent the spread of disease. 14 of the released
macaques were handled by Scorpion Foundation in Pulo Lubang, Batang Toru, South
Tapanuli while 5 others were handled by the BBKSDASU Rescue Center in Stabat,
Langkat Regency of North Sumatra Province.
The release took place at a location within the Karang
Gading Wildlife Sanctuary. The location can be reached by river by motorizedboat, taking one hour from Tangkahan Sepucung area in Selotong Village,
Secangkang subdistrict, Langkat Regency. Takahan Sepucung is accessible by ground
travel in approximately three hours from Medan.
The release was successfully carried out by five forest
rangers from the BBKSDASU-Region I (Rio Waldy Sembiring, Matsyah, Fatimah Sari,
Hady Pamujo, and Salmuddin). They were also assisted by four village
facilitators (Nuru, Putri, Aisyah, and Elo Hansen) while the release team
members from Scorpion Foundation included Ahmad Rizki Gea, Rahmadhani, Ikhwan
Saleh Harahap, and Uya Rahmana.
The Scorpion Foundation runs a Macaque Rescue Center in Batangtoru, South Tapanuli Regency of North Sumatra province.
Below are some pictures of the release activity:
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