You may remember the story of Didik the orphaned baby orangutan who was receiving care at the IAR orangutan centre in Borneo after being rescued a few weeks ago. This youngster had been through the toughest possible start to life, as it is thought that his mother was shot and he became an orphan at a very young age. Fortunately though, the team at IAR brought him into the centre and things have been looking up for Didik ever since!
We are delighted to be able to bring you an update on the adventurous ape and tell you all about how he is getting on in his new and safe home!
Didik has now begun to learn the ropes about all things orangutan, and he recently ventured out on his first tree climb. To begin with the young ape displayed a deep fear of heights, but after some gentle encouragement from the vet he is beginning to get over it! Uwi, the IAR vet, encouraged Didik to climb the tree by leaving a small spoonful of porridge just out of the orangutans reach, and this was just the push Didik needed to climb the branches and reach the delicious porridge!
All of this nourishment seems to be working as Didik is growing at a much healthier rate than he was when he first arrived. When he was initially rescued he weighed just 2.9kg, but now thanks to his healthy diet he already weighs 4.9kg. He no longer needs to be fed through a syringe and he will happily devour anything that is put in front of him.
Even with all of this good news, it is still going to take a long time for Didik to recover from the trauma he faced at such a young age. Dr Karmele Llano Sanchez said: “For an animal like an orangutan, witnessing the death of its mother is a profoundly shocking experience. That is undoubtedly why Didik looks so sad and depressed. It will take a long time for him to recover from the terrible trauma he has been through and start to take an interest in his surroundings.”
At least for now though things are starting to look up for this brave orangutan!
