By vet Christine Nelson
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| Roy shows off his his multi-tasking skills |
Times are busy
for the orangutans in Sungai Awan, as well as for the humans looking after them.
We are constantly tweaking the routine to better accomodate the animals
and give them the most natural day possible. The orangutans are always being encouraged to
climb and explore in the forest. Some
possess strong instincts and are traveling high in the trees in search of
fruit, ants, and termites, or they are settling down to make a nest. Others are busy playing with the group and
still learning what the forest has to offer.
Butan, Marcela, Merah, and Roy seem to be at the top of the class in
forest school and more regularly go off on their own. Ongky, Ujang, Bandut, Sigit, and Puyol have
now been brought from the transit center, which means we have successfully moved
nearly half the orangutans to their new home in Sungai Awan. The latest arrivals are enjoying being the
biggest individuals on site, but with plans for more moves soon, that won’t
last long. Joyce still acts a bit spoilt and cries when she doesn’t get her way, but she is playing well with
Gunung, Noel, Rocky, and Rickina in the small baby group. They have a fabulous spot in the forest where
they can climb high in the trees or play on the hammocks and platforms
provided.
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| Best buddies Gunung and Noel couldn't be happier than when they're swinging through the trees! |
The transit
center is a little quieter these days, as the number of babies that go to the
play yard is smaller. We
are still making plans for moving the rest of the younger ones as construction
continues. Many of the adults are
becoming familiarized with behaviors like presenting body parts for inspection
or giving an arm for drawing blood voluntarily. This provides some enrichment as well as allows
for better medical examination and health management of the older animals.
There is also a new
young orangutan who came to the Sungai Awan center in mid-February. He has been named Tribun due to some of the
newspaper press coverage his rescue received. He came from the grounds of a palm oil plantation in Kuala Satong, and
we became aware of his presence with the help of a local villager. His behavior is not very wild, which means he
was probably kept in captivity for longer than has been admitted to authorities. Tribun is about a year and a half old, and there are faint lines worn into
his skin around his waist where he may have been tied or chained. He can travel pretty fast in the trees, but he
is thin and his muscles are not that strong.
We are waiting for him to gain that strength before undergoing his full
health tests under anesthesia. Preliminary
blood test results are clear, so hopefully he will meet the other babies in the
coming weeks. Read the full story
about Tribun’s rescue here.
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| Poor Tribun was found living in a cardboard box |
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