Tag: OOTM

IN MEMORIAM: HOCKEY Orangutan of the Month Remembered December 2020 and January 2021

At OFI we enjoy the highs but we also must endure the lows. It is with a heavy heart that we inform our friends and supporters that after a short illness (non-Covid19 related) wild born ex-captive female orangutan “Hockey” passed away in her sleep. Thankfully, she was not alone as her faithful carer and nurse… Continue reading IN MEMORIAM: HOCKEY Orangutan of the Month Remembered December 2020 and January 2021

Orangutan of the Month August – November 2020
BAMA: Curious girl Searcher and Explorer

Away deep in the woods, life goes on at Camp Rendell, an adjunct facility to OFI’s Care Center in Central Borneo. An orangutan “soft release” is taking place. The daily soft release process sees the wild born ex-captive orangutans taken out in the morning from their sleeping enclosures and brought back in the late afternoon.… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month August – November 2020
BAMA: Curious girl Searcher and Explorer

Orangutans of the Month June and July 2020
NATALIE AND CANTIK: THE ROAD HOME

2020 has been a year of ups and downs, but among the stories of isolation and quarantine, there are those of freedom. Freedom well-earned by two orangutans, Natalie and Cantik! Cantik is an Indonesian word which in English means “pretty”. All orangutans are beautiful in their own way. It is a close contest between Natalie… Continue reading Orangutans of the Month June and July 2020
NATALIE AND CANTIK: THE ROAD HOME

Orangutan of the Month March 2020: LADY GILBERT – PORTRAIT OF A LADY

The complex of buildings known as the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) may be one nerve center of OFI’s (Orangutan Foundation International) operations in Borneo but stretching forth like branches from a tree are a network of camps, facilities, and posts. Extending from these are projects ranging from reforestation to orangutan rehabilitation. Camp Rendell… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month March 2020: LADY GILBERT – PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Orangutan of the Month for February 2020:
MARSHA, Magic in the Canopy

It is amazing to think that just over 50 years ago we knew so much less about these orange apes, orangutans, the only great apes native to Asia, than we do now. Over the last decades Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and others have contributed much to our knowledge of these enigmatic pongids. Through observation and… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for February 2020:
MARSHA, Magic in the Canopy

Orangutan of the Month for January 2020:
LEVY, Mr. Can-Do

Male orangutan infants are lightning bolts packed with energy and if there is one orangutan who can be guaranteed to be in the thick of it, that is Levy. Some infants immediately stand out. Levy is not initially as obvious or as eye catching as some of the other infants at Camp Danielle but over… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for January 2020:
LEVY, Mr. Can-Do

Orangutan of the Month for December 2019.
SUMMER: Stubborn but Sweet

Orangutan hair may be a flaming dusky red but it provides excellent camouflage when orangutans are in tangled shrubbery and in the forest canopy where the sun doesn’t shine.  Like ninjas orangutans blend in seamlessly into the forest especially as they often hold themselves absolutely still.  Wild born ex-captive “Summer” is perfecting her stealthy ways.… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for December 2019.
SUMMER: Stubborn but Sweet

Orangutan of the Month November 2019.
BANDA: Charisma Strong

The hanging vines and sturdy trees in Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) Learning Forest in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) have borne witness to many young orangutans over the years. The vines have weathered rough swinging, times of peace and times of organized chaos as caregivers and orangutans bustle back and forth through the forest. The vines… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month November 2019.
BANDA: Charisma Strong

Orangutan of the Month for October, 2019: Judy

Let’s talk about Judy! Orphan orangutans who are kept in private households are often placed in situations completely outside of their normal understanding. Judy was one of these as she arrived at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) wearing human clothes. This is something that has happened on more than one occasion when “pet”… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for October, 2019: Judy

Orangutan of the Month for August 2019: Mumui,
Explorer in the Making

Youth is a time when individuals are trying to find their way through life. It is a time of experimentation, trying new things, and seeing what suits us. Through exploration and challenge, young orangutan Mumui is learning more about herself and her surroundings. In her own way she follows the example of great explorers and… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for August 2019: Mumui,
Explorer in the Making

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Youth is a time when individuals are trying to find their way through life. It is a time of experimentation, trying new things, and seeing what suits us. Through exploration and challenge, young orangutan Mumui is learning more about herself and her surroundings. In her own way she follows the example of great explorers and pioneers such as Lewis and Clark or Ernest Shackleton. Thankfully, she doesn’t quite manage to lose herself in the forest for a couple of years in the process.

Every explorer needs to be prepared with the right accoutrements and know how. To that end Mumu’s caregivers are on hand to provide encouragement and sustenance. One thing Mumui doesn’t need though is a map. Unsure of which path to take, she settles for trying all of them. Using Camp Danielle, the Infant Nursery at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ )as her base camp, Mumui sets off for adventure. 

Mumui in her formative years has taken to the forest like… well, an orangutan. She has pushed to the outer limits of the Learning Forest swinging from tree to tree, breaking branches, and climbing as high as she possibly can. Her eyes are locked on the horizon. She quickly finds and selects her favourite spots. She is easy enough to follow as a trail of twisted branches and leaves, strewn like the breadcrumbsof the old fairy tale Hansel and Gretel,are left in her wake. She has always been the first to leave her sleeping enclosure and the last to begrudgingly come back. She has already shown herself adept at the early stages of pitching up her own camp aka nest making. 

This young orphan’s journey began at the Center when she was brought in by the Indonesian Forestry Department. From the start she was a big and gangly-limbed infant who sported the most wonderful hair. It has only grown thicker over time.  One can easily pick her out from the crowd due to her “sideburns.” This is a shaggy look that almost eems a prerequisite for a rugged explorer, a true “person of the forest.” It also symbolises her sometimes rebellious nature. Mumui has never shown much interest in interacting with humans. This may make her seem aloof and unapproachable but behind this thin veneer, there is a clever, warm, and active orangutan. She has plenty of time for her fellow orangutans, enlisting them to join her on her expeditions. Mumui may have learnt how to tackle the forest and has built up her own self-confidence but she often forgets her own strength and how big she is. She is still just an infant at heart and wrestles and plays with her playmates regardless of their size. 

These days Mumui seems a little bit lost however. A little unfocused. This smart young orangutan is looking for the next challenge. She has explored all around the Camp Danielle Learning Forest. The broken trees and general disarray are a testament to this exploration. Where else is there to go for this voracious orangutan? She can be seen digging through the sand and mud. Maybe she has heard there is something down there worth seeing or she just likes covering herself from head to toe in mud.

Luckily the enrichment team recently stepped in to redesign and upgrade the Orangutan playground. This familiar area has been renewed and has provided Mumui a chance to explore it all over again and discover its new hidden treasures. Mumui will entertain herself rolling through the tires and rearranging rope made out of Kong balls. For Mumui it is like a puzzle with many different combinations she can shape into whatever she wants. At the very least, on a hot day the playground provides some welcome shelter from the sun.

Any explorer knows the importance of having enough rations to keep strength up andit can be said an orangutan marches on her stomach. So one way her caregivers guide Mumui is with food.She may sometimes seem unfocused so her caregivers have to give her a nudge. But once Mumui embarks on something she is committed.A well placed, small basket of fruit can bring out a procession of orangutans, following their caregivers who seem to resemble benevolent Pied Pipers. At the head of the procession is our very own pathfinder, Mumui.

Other times, on especially hot and tiring days, we provide coconuts. Mumui’s patience is limited  if she can’t get into the coconut immediately. Some orangutan youngsters struggle to solve the problem of how to open coconuts as though the fruits were Gordian knots. Mumui takes a direct approach. If she bashes a coconut on the ground with no result, she tries a different tack. Using her sharp teeth, she strips the outer shell of the coconut. She then bites a hole into the coarse inner shell and tilts her head back to drink the refreshing water within. A young male, Otan, approaches; he has his eye on the coconut Mumui is enjoying. He marches over and tries to claim it for himself. A tug of war ensues. All the time during this struggle Mumui keeps her mouth wrapped tightly around part of the coconut and carries on drinking. Nobody is going to stop her from enjoying this. Eventually once Mumui is satisfied she lets go. Otan can have her leftovers.

Being challenged brings out Mumui’s inner fighting spirit. She is determined to see a project through. She is also waiting for the next one to come along. As Mumui matures, her caregivers will continue to conjure up ways to keep her engaged and to provide her with  opportunities for new experiences. She still has plenty of time to work things out. Who knows how and where she will carve out her own niche? Maybe one day she will go off into unchartered territory or simply take up residence in an idyllic corner of the forest. There are so many possibilities for her. The path is hers to choose. In any case let’s hope there will be enough forest left in Borneo for Mumui  to continue exploring.

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