We’ve just received news from Samboja Lestari that five more orangutans have embarked on their final journey to freedom! As part of the sanctuary’s 14th release effort, these incredible apes have been awaiting their release for quite some time. Get to know them by reading their profiles below…
Ingrid
First up, meet Ingrid. Arriving at Samboja Lestari at 8 years old, Ingrid had been kept illegally as a pet until her captor handed her over to BOS in 2002. After spending two months in quarantine, Ingrid began her rehabilitation before being moved to the islands in 2006 to complete the final pre-release stage. While on the pre-release islands, Ingrid gave birth twice: her first child, Indonesia, was released into the Kehje Sewen Forest in 2016, and her second child, Ivan, stayed behind.
Independent, an excellent forager and a great nest-builder, Ingrid thrived on the pre-release islands, honing multiple skills to serve her well in the wild. At the age of 23 years old, Ingrid’s 15 years at the sanctuary are set to come to a close, as she begins her journey to the forest with somebody very close to her…
Ivan
At the age of 4 years old, Ivan looks forward to freedom alongside his mother. Due to Ingrid’s influence, Ivan has been lucky enough to develop an encouragingly semi-wild nature – a fortunate starts to life for a young orangutan.
Ivan is certainly a mummy’s boy, keen to remain by Ingrid’s side whenever possible. He is slightly fearful of human presence, kiss-squeaking to gain his mother’s attention or running over to her when he sees a person approaching. Ivan’s fears will soon subside, as his life in the wild should be without human interaction. We wish Ivan, Ingrid and Indonesia all the success with their new lives in Kehje Sewen Forest!
Tiny
Contrary to his name, Tiny is a big, healthy juvenile who was born at Samboja in 2006. Raised by his mother Tasya, Tiny has developed strong vital skills to help him survive in the wild, displaying appropriate behaviours for survival in the forest.
Shy yet curious, Tiny enjoys building nests and exploring – but prefers not to interact with humans! Like Ivan, Tiny will kiss-squeak at the sight of a human being. He must be eager to retreat into the wild!
Santa
Keeping in with the season, Santa is the next candidate preparing for release in just a few days. She was rescued back in 2014 after being found without a mother at the age of 3 years old.
Santa completed all levels of Forest School within 3 years, and is fond of foraging, exploring, and building nests. Now almost 7 tears old and showing independent behaviours, Santa is set to return to the wild with one last journey to Kehje Sewen Forest!
Yuniar
The final orangutan on our list of candidates is 15-year-old Yuniar. Arriving at Samboja Lestari in 2006 at the age of 4 years old, Yuniar passed through Forest School with ease and was transferred to Orangutan Island 4 shortly afterwards.
After 11 years, Yuniar is now independent and confident enough to survive in the wild. Alongside the other orangutans, she will soon gain the freedom to explore at her own will in the wild.
That concludes our list of orangutan candidates – stick with us, as we’ll no doubt be sharing more information about their release in the near future! In the meantime, join us in sending well-wishes to the team at Samboja Lestari: the work they do for this incredibly endangered species is just phenomenal and, without them (or our volunteers, of course!), today’s candidates may never have been given another shot at life in the wild.
