Category: Camp Leakey

Orangutan of the Month: “Pola”

Pola came to Camp Leakey in the mid-1970s as a young juvenile orphan along with other notables like Princess, Unyuk and Tutut. During that time, Pola joined one of the original sign learning projects I was conducting as a graduate student working with Dr. Galdikas. Like Princess, Pola was given a home-reared environment within which… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month: “Pola”

Orangutan of the Month: Mohtar

Tracy Tannenbaum and Ron Austerlade visited Tanjung Puting in April and September of 1998 and again in April 1999. They fell in love with many of the park’s orangutan residents, but their favorite is this month’s “Orangutan of the Month”! Mohtar is an eight year old ex-captive orangutan with a sweet face and an unforgettable… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month: Mohtar

Orangutan of the Month: Siswi

Siswi, OFI’s Orangutan of the Month, is indeed an amazing orangutan. First, she has the distinction of being the first orangutan born to an excaptive at historic Camp Leakey. Second, she almost died and is alive today through the efforts of veterinarians, tireless caregivers, and a strong will to live. Siswi was born September 9,… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month: Siswi

Orangutan of the Month: Princess

This inaugurates OFI’s newest feature, Orangutan of the Month: a photograph and description of one of the many orangutans found in and around Central Kalimantan or under the care of OFI. Statistics: Female; excaptive; approximately 24-25 years of age. Mother of 3 offspring (2 surviving: Peta and Pan). Princess is best known for her participation… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month: Princess

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This inaugurates OFI's newest feature, Orangutan of the Month: a photograph and description of one of the many orangutans found in and around Central Kalimantan or under the care of OFI.

Statistics: Female; excaptive; approximately 24-25 years of age. Mother of 3 offspring (2 surviving: Peta and Pan). Princess is best known for her participation in a sign language study conducted between 1978 and 1980 by Dr. Gary Shapiro. The following is an exerpt taken from Pongo Quest (vol 7/1) about Princess in 1996: bprinces "Seventeen years ago, I first arrived at Camp Leakey at the request of Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, to begin what was to become a two year project aimed at teaching sign language to the ex-captive orangutans. One of those orangutans was Princess, an impish little female who, at the time, literally chose me as her adopted Daddy when I was looking for prospective primate students. We were family during those two years sharing our breakfasts and lunches as well as bathtimes and bed. Within these contexts Princess learned to use American Sign Language. She learned over thirty sign signs to an established criteria and used the signs singly and in appropriate combination to request edibles and contact activities such as grooming and tickling. During those years, we would frequently go on walks or go to the river for a swim or to bathe or to wash clothing. "Princess enjoyed washing clothes the best for it was in this context she could eat soap and play her clothes washing game. Following the washing style of the camp staff, Princess would lay out one of my t-shirts after dunking it into the blackwaters of the Sekonyer River. She would take a bar of soap and rub it into the shirt then with the back of her hand (a natural bristle brush) and work up tremendous amounts of lather which she would consume with relish. She would also slap the shirt on the deck of the floating platform, wring it out and dip it into the river again. This whole process would be repeated until either she or I grew tired of it." Readers can learn more about Princess's early signing abilities in the following reference: "1982-Shapiro, G., Sign acquisition in a home-reared / free-ranging orangutan: Comparisons with other signing apes. American Journal of Primatology, 3: 121-129." [post_title] => Orangutan of the Month: Princess [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => orangutan-of-the-month-princess [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2022-09-27 01:34:33 [post_modified_gmt] => 2022-09-27 08:34:33 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://orangutan.org/?p=11038 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 7 [filter] => raw )