July, 12 2011
At OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ), enrichment is a crucial part of caring for the physical and mental health of the orangutans. Over the past few years, the number and complexity of the items offered to the orangutans has increased substantially due to the dedicated work of the Enrichment Coordinator and a number…
Read MoreDecember, 17 2010
Doctor Prima doesn’t have a favorite orangutan at the Care Center because it would, in his own words, “not be fair, as maybe I would give one orangutan better treatment than the others.” As Dr Prima explains this, he uses two pencil cases to make his point as one looks more worn than the other.…
Read MoreSeptember, 6 2010
Many good teams are trios. The Three musketeers, Charlie’s Angels, or for you primate fans, Leakey”s Angels. This last “team” consisted of three female primatologists Dr. Louis Leakey encouraged to study wild great apes in the 60’s and 70’s. The African ape ladies.were Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, while the only ‘Angel’ in Asia was…
Read MoreAugust, 10 2010
It only takes one moment of clarity to realize how important enrichment is for captive animals. My moment of clarity came last week when I was introduced to a young orangutan through long-term volunteer Jennifer Donay. Not only has this orangutan inspired a unique new enrichment program, but she also has taught me many lessons…
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