You may remember that back in September we brought you news of five Orangutans who were being released back into the wilds of the Bornean rainforest. Well today we are delighted to inform you all of that we have received updates on their progress! Ajeng, Erica, Long and Arief, and Leonie have all been out exploring the rainforest for over three months now so they have had time to settle in to their new surroundings. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation PRM (Post-Release Monitoring team) out in Borneo is regularly monitoring and observing the Orangutans and managing to collect data as they adapt to their new home. Let’s see how they are getting on!
Ajeng
Ajeng has spent a large amount of her time up in the trees, really getting to grips with her new environment and has become quite the explorer! She has very quickly learnt which of her natural food sources to eat and Rattan Shoots have become her favourite. It was reported that Ajeng did meet Leonie whilst eating forest fruits, but she just continued to walk on by.
Erica
The PRM team has had hard time trying to monitor Erica as she had resorted to moving rapidly through the trees, only stopping to throw small branches down in an attempt to avoid the Samboja team. Whilst it may not sound like it, this is a really good thing as it is behaviour that wild Orangutans display against humans which means Erica has learnt how to avoid humans. Erica is also eating well and has frequently been seen dining on Rattan Shoots and Termites.
Long and Arief
Long is still playing the role of a caring surrogate mother to adopted son Arief very well. Arief has been having an incredible time playing in and climbing the trees in the Kehje Sewen Forest whilst Long watches over him from a distance.
Arief made the mistake of bumping into a bees nest during one of his tree climbing sessions, but fortunately new mum Long was on hand to protect him and both climbed down to find a safer spot to search for Rattan Shoots.
Leonie
Similar to Erica, Leonie seems keen to completely avoid humans. She often kiss-squeaks whenever she notices one of the PRM team, and will then proceed to move quickly up into the tree. This is again a good thing that Leonie is displaying this behaviour as her trepidation around human’s means that she is a lot less likely to be seen and found by poachers. Leonie does not range too far and she is quite content to sit back and relax on a tree branch before she goes searching for food!
We are delighted to see all five Orangutans thriving and doing so well in their new, natural homes and we hope they continue to live happy lives in the forest. The BOSF team out in Borneo will do everything they can to ensure that this happens whilst letting the Orangutans keep their independence and grow on their own. If you would like to visit the centre these five Orangutans were rehabilitated in then you can. You can aid Orangutan conservation at the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Centre so why not find out more here . Hopefully this uplifting story gives you all the incentive you need to become a volunteer and help these incredible animals.
