BIG ON FIGS: In Indonesia, one nutritious fruit is the wild fuel that runs the rain forest - figs, a favorite food of animals in the rainforest, have a high calcium content

International Wildlife, Jan-Feb, 2000 by Margaret Kinnaird

For more than a year I gathered figs-mostly those that had been dropped to the ground by messy birds and macaques. But sometimes I was forced to steel my nerves and climb into the canopy for a sample. As I searched under one fig that was bearing a full load and found no fruits on the ground, I realized that I'd have to climb. I slipped between two telephone-pole-sized roots and entered a hollow chamber created by a long-lost host. The latticework formed by the strangler's interweaving trunks provided a perfect ladder and I scurried up 130 feet to the top. From this lofty perch, I peered out at the patchwork of green treetops that blankets the slopes of Mt. Tangkoko and ends about a mile to the north in the sparkling Sulawesi Sea. Locking my feet between the roots and bracing my knees against a horizontal branch, I cautiously reached out, plucked 10 ripe figs and dropped them into plastic film canisters.

As I lingered in the cool breezes of the rain forest canopy, a slight movement in the shadows caught my eyes. Suddenly I realized I was staring into the gremlinlike face of a spectral tarsier. These primates are no bigger than a coffee mug but their enormous eyes, sensitive ears, large teeth and rotating heads create a devilish image that more than makes up for their small size.

Tarsiers don't feed on figs, but the trees still play a crucial role in their lives, serving as bedrooms. Nearly every big strangler in Tangkoko is occupied by a family of tarsiers. The primates sleep in the branches by day and descend to the lower canopy to hunt insects by night. Mates give eerie, ear-piercing calls as they return to tuck into bed, and these demonic cries are, in part, why local villagers believe fig trees are haunted.

I descended the tree, my collection of fruits now complete. I sealed the various bottles, vials and canisters full of preserved figs and then shipped them off to the Bronx Zoo. Several months later, I received word that an important fax from Dr. Dierenfeld was waiting for me in Manado. I hopped into my battered Land Cruiser and began the four-hour journey around the mountain and across the tip of Sulawesi's northern peninsula to the city.

The results were in-and brought some surprises. Our tests revealed that figs are an important natural source of calcium, critical for strong bones and eggshells, blood clotting and numerous cell functions. Figs have, on average, nearly three times more calcium than nonfig fruits and contain calcium levels higher than minimum dietary requirements for growing primates. Several fig species contain enough calcium to support a hen laying 300 eggs a year. The results were so exciting that Ellen tested fruits from South America and Africa and found that Tangkoko was not unique-the pattern held around the world.

At last, we had found the answer to the question that brought me to Tangkoko. I now knew that figs are irresistible to so many forest denizens not only because they are plentiful and provide enormous quantities of food year-round, but because these succulent fruits in all their various sizes, shapes and colors provide an essential nutrient.