Linus, Guarding the Forest After Losing His Home and Grandfather

GARISBUMI.com – When Paulinus Kristianto put out fires in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan (Kalteng), in 2015, sad news came from his village in West Kalimantan (Kalbar). His family's house burned down. His grandfather later died while trying to extinguish the fire in the house.

The previous afternoon, his grandfather still called and calmed him down.

"There's no need to worry, as long as there is still forest, our houses can be rebuilt because we build houses using wood," said the man who is familiarly called Linus, remembering his grandfather's message in a conversation, Wednesday (21/10/2026), as conveyed by the Ministry of Forestry.

When he got the signal again at around six in the afternoon, Linus received news of the death. The next morning, he drove alone to his hometown.

In front of his grandfather's grave, he wanted to end his service in the world of conservation.

"How many orangutans have I saved, how many trees have I planted, but I can't save my own family," he said.

His colleagues did not let him bear the loss alone. They raised money to help rebuild his family's home. Before two weeks had passed, the foundation fees were collected. Linus finally returned to the blackout, even though his grief was not over.

Linus grew close to the forest from childhood in Laung Hamlet, Seberuang District, Kapuas Hulu Regency. The Dayak child walks two hours through fields and forests to go to school. After high school in 2010, he started working in conservation, caring for orangutans and sun bears.

In 2017, it was his body's turn to stop. Linus fell while with the team evacuating a male orangutan weighing more than 90 kilograms. He then couldn't stand for six months.