Review of our guide tour, Mr. Waldo Takasaheng

Mata setajam elang, stamina sehebat macan dahan, dan ingatan sekuat gajah; itulah karakteristik Pak Waldo Takasaheng alias Pak Diswal, pemandu kami selama dua hari di Tangkoko. Hampir setiap lima menit, beliau menunjukkan keberadaan hewan liar: dari kuskus yang bergelantungan di atas pohon setinggi 30 meter, cicak terbang mungil di batang pohon puluhan meter jauhnya, hingga burung kecil di pucuk dahan yang bahkan tak mengeluarkan suara sama sekali.

Saya merasa sangat beruntung bisa bertemu dengan Pak Waldo sebelum memasuki kawasan Tangkoko. Beliau diperkenalkan kepada saya oleh Dr. Saroyo dari UNSRAT, seorang peneliti ternama yang telah lama meneliti yaki di kawasan ini. Dahulu Pak Waldo bekerja mendampingi Dr. Saroyo dalam penelitian tersebut. Sejak kecil, Pak Waldo sudah akrab dengan hutan Tangkoko; ayahnya pun merupakan salah satu asisten peneliti ekologi satwa pertama di sini, yang telah menjelajahi kawasan ini bahkan sebelum Tangkoko berkembang menjadi destinasi wisata. Tak heran jika Pak Waldo sangat mengenal ekosistem Tangkoko, dari nama setiap burung yang berkicau dalam bahasa Inggris hingga ke teritori burung hantu yang berhasil beliau panggil dengan rekaman suara dari katalog audio di ponselnya.

Dua hari di Tangkoko terasa belum cukup. Saya tak sabar ingin kembali, menjelajahi lebih jauh kekayaan fauna dan flora endemik dengan bantuan mata tajam dan pengetahuan luar biasa milik Pak Waldo.

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Eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, stamina as strong as a leopard’s, and memory as precise as an elephant’s—that is Mr. Waldo Takasaheng, also known as Pak Diswal, our guide during our two-day journey in Tangkoko. Almost every five minutes, he would point out the presence of wildlife: from a cuscus hanging high up in 30-meter-tall trees, a tiny flying lizard clinging to distant tree trunks, and even a small bird perched on branch tops that made no sound at all.

I felt incredibly fortunate to have met Pak Waldo before entering Tangkoko. He was introduced to me by Dr. Saroyo from UNSRAT, a renowned researcher who has long studied the crested black macaque (yaki) in this area. In the past, Pak Waldo worked alongside Dr. Saroyo in his field research. Pak Waldo has been familiar with the Tangkoko forest since childhood—his father was one of the first ecological research assistants in the region and explored Tangkoko before it developed into a tourist destination. It’s no wonder that Pak Waldo knows the Tangkoko ecosystem like the back of his hand; from identifying every birdcall and mentioning their name in English to locating owl territories that he can summon using audio recordings stored on his phone.

Two days in Tangkoko didn’t feel like enough. I can’t wait to return and explore more of its endemic wildlife and flora, guided by the sharp eyes and exceptional knowledge of Pak Waldo.

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