“It was a blank space before … “, said Wika.

Let me start with the current condition in our beloved natural resources in Indonesia. It is pathetic and dying.

During my bachelor study, I spent almost 2 years working in a microbiology laboratory thinking that one day I could create antibiotic to save dying human beings. After I graduated, I was working in a mining company and staying nearby the smelter. I was there for nearly four months where I witnessed they destroyed the environment to build the offices, houses, and for mining purposes. Their reasonable reason when being confronted was to save human lives. It broke me inside out. Among all the reasons I had when I decided to resign, idealism was the one. During my work, I saw a young eagle wander above the sea, looking for its house which had been replaced by a giant factory.

When I resigned I had tried to join some local communities which focus on conservation and wild animal protection. I came across ProFauna in Malang. Sadly, they could not accept me in March and April, only in May. So, I tried another one. While waiting for the response, I received an email from Little Fireface Project saying that I can join them from March to April. I was excited to learn about conservation and lorises.

I started April with a lot of excitement since I was able to do an observation on my own. Even though the tiredness was getting worst than before, but I enjoyed every single moment I spent observing lorises and talk with the trackers. I was not only observing the lorises but also looking for what kind of species living in this environment. What has amazed me till the moment I write this report is the spiders. Every time I went on observation, I always saw a strange but good looking spider. From big to small, from scary to cute. Sadly, I could not stay longer to observe those spiders, since the lorises were waiting for me and the tracker.

Climbing, walking, holding, riding, sitting, and observing were the activities that I did on the field. My favourite one is sitting and observing. Especially when the moon was bright and the wind was absent. I remember having my first sahoor on the field with Bang Yiyi. We were observing Solo who happened to be confronted by uncollared loris. When Solo was hiding at his sleep site, Bang Yiyi and I ate our pack meal while waiting for him to show up. I was relieved but a little bit disappointed when Solo did not come out from his hiding place until our shift ended.

Another memorable thing from observation is the chayote trees. Every time the signal made us go through chayote trees, I was pissed off, because of my height. Not once did I stand up straightly every time I went through chayote trees. However, I got something in return. I could cook delicious chayote soup when I came back home. I was not stealing, but the chayote picked me.

Spending one month in Cipaganti doing loris conservation is the most productive activity I have done this year. I was able to learn how lorises socialize, groom, eat, and vocalize. I also had the opportunity to rescue a loris found by a local citizen. Given the chance to see nature from a different perspective has put me in another understanding and another hope that our natural resources can still be rescued if only the young generation is willing to take a step.