A Video from The Vault: Kristen’s Final Days
One of the very first wild orangutans ever followed at Cabang Panti Research Station was an adult female, given the name Kristen. Kristen was first followed in 1992, when GPOP founder Dr. Cheryl Knott first came to Gunung Palung, until the day she died on August 13, 2010, at an estimated 50 years old. In her lifetime, Kristen had at least four offspring: Kate (estimated birth date 1981), Kayla (estimated birth date 1988), Karla (born 1995) and Keiko (born 2002). Kristen’s legacy lived on, when Kate went on to have two offspring of her own, Kumara (1995) and Bayi Kate (2002). Kayla also gave birth to Kendra in 2002. It’s likely Kristen’s other daughters also had their own offspring, though we have not been able to verify this.
In the summer of 2010, during her annual visit to the research station, Dr. Knott and the field research team were following Kristen, who, by this time, they all knew very well. It was clear that Kristen was ill and nearing the end of her life.
Below, watch our latest video “from the vault” of Dr. Knott in the field as she explains her emotional experience of following Kristen during the final days of her life.
