Tag: Orangutan of the Month

Orangutan of the Month for August, 2018: Robina

At the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo, OFI (Orangutan Foundation International) staff provide milk for the older orangutans in OFI’s care. Caregiver Ibu Tuti always looks forward to her encounters with orangutan Robina or “cantik (beautiful) Robina” as she calls her. Indeed a beauty, Robina’s light ginger locks are long… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for August, 2018: Robina

Orangutan of the Month for July, 2018: Kuba

Everybody remembers their first house. Dreams are cast, plans are made and pennies are gathered until the jubilant day the homeowner wakes up in their new bed. Given that orangutans share so much in common with humans, they may look on their first nest with a similar sense of pride. One infant orangutan in OFI’s… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for July, 2018: Kuba

Orangutan of the Month for June, 2018: Allisson

All orangutans have their own needs and learning styles. At the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo, the OFI staff respect the unique personalities of each orangutan. Allisson is a focused and methodical orangutan, and one who does not like to be rushed. Allisson arrived at the Care Center when she… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for June, 2018: Allisson

Orangutan of the Month for Feb, 2018: Jalin

There are currently over 300 orangutans at the OFI Care Center, and no two are the same. It’s never easy selecting one “Orangutan of the Month” but at certain times one individual will stand out. For her great courage and resilience, Jalin has earned the spotlight this month. Jalin arrived at Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI)… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Feb, 2018: Jalin

Orangutan of the Month for Jan, 2018: Ariel

On a warm morning in Central Indonesian Borneo, the caregivers of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) prepare to escort the orangutans from Pondok Satu into the Learning Forest at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ). Pondok (which means “shelter”) Satu is currently managed by an all-female team who care for both female and male orangutans,… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Jan, 2018: Ariel

Orangutan of the Month for Dec, 2017: Otan

On a hot afternoon during the rainy season, a vehicle slowly pulled up in the driveway of OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo. The van was soon recognized to be a patrol vehicle of the Sampit Wildlife Department of Indonesia. An officer opened up the car to reveal two little… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Dec, 2017: Otan

Orangutan of the Month for Nov, 2017: Andrena

Andrena’s appearance and personality captivate. At first sight, her long, plentiful hair gives the illusion that she is twice the size of her peers at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Indonesian Borneo. Her richly-coloured hair seems to flow in all directions, accentuating a certain wild essence in her personality. There is… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Nov, 2017: Andrena

Orangutan of the Month for Oct, 2017: Voyce

For orangutan infant orphan “Voyce”, OFI’s Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in Central Borneo was a light that brightened his once uncertain future. Voyce had developed a serious parasitic worm infection that caused gastrointestinal distention. He had a large, visible swelling of the abdomen. While some parasites develop and live within their host unnoticed, the… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Oct, 2017: Voyce

Orangutan of the Month for Sept, 2017: Karaba

Karaba is a unique orangutan with her own distinctive expressions and mannerisms. Orangutan facial expressions give hints as to their emotions at a given time. For example, playful infants will sometimes stretch open their mouths, almost like a yawn, just before playing a trick on a staff member or another orangutan. When Karaba drops her… Continue reading Orangutan of the Month for Sept, 2017: Karaba

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 20383 [post_author] => 10287 [post_date] => 2017-04-30 12:28:54 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-04-30 19:28:54 [post_content] => 2017-03-04_Klinik_dwn_217_Karaba_wmKaraba is a unique orangutan with her own distinctive expressions and mannerisms. Orangutan facial expressions give hints as to their emotions at a given time. For example, playful infants will sometimes stretch open their mouths, almost like a yawn, just before playing a trick on a staff member or another orangutan. When Karaba drops her mouth wide open, it indicates instead a state of deep concentration. At these times, she will relax the area of her mouth, allowing it to be slightly open, with her bottom lip falling downwards. Karaba's capacity for sustained concentration contributes to a high level of sensitivity to her environment. While traveling at a furious pace and crunching leaves, she suddenly stops. Silent and completely still, only her eyes move, slowly scanning her surroundings. She has a highly-attuned attention to detail, whether picking at her hair and grooming herself, or making attempts to groom anyone else in her vicinity. She seems fascinated by nails and the cuticles that surround them. Comfortably perched, she studies her own hands for long moments, probing the ridged texture of her fingernails. 2017-03-04_Klinik_dwn_177_Karaba 2_wm Karaba maintains a similar focus with enrichment activities. The orangutans at OFI's Care Center are given specially designed packets made of leaves or woven rattan containing peanuts and other treats. Once the treats have been successfully extracted, most orangutans lose interest in the items. But long after her peers' attention has subsided, Karaba can be seen peeling, snapping, poking, and arranging the enrichment materials time and time again to create new piles and formations. She also likes to collect ferns. She gathers them together, ensuring that all ends are lined up in an orderly bunch, much like a bouquet of flowers! Even Karaba’s physiognomy is unique. She has an unusual disfigurement of her right foot, but is unhindered by the disadvantage. While all orangutans have their own style of climbing and moving from tree to tree, they usually differ from one another in speed or agility. Karaba, however, distinguishes herself by being one of noisiest individuals in the trees! She tends to catapult herself from one tree to the next, with large branches bending almost at right angles to compensate for her bursts of contact with them. Karaba’s arboreal passage can be easily identified by the path of broken twigs and branches she frequently leaves in her wake. 2017-03-04_Klinik_dwn_110_Karaba_wm Conversely, Karaba can be extremely stealthy when she wants to be. OFI staff members quickly learned that if they cast their eyes down for a moment, Karaba might disappear. As a result, she is usually followed by two caregivers during forest school. Her curiosity drives her to explore further than most of the day-released orangutans, venturing to corners her peers have barely visited. This sometimes puts her at potential risk of ranging too far and encountering dangers she is not yet prepared to face on her own such as hostile or fearful humans. OFI staff Pak Yoyong and Pak Hansen follow her together, ducking under vines and climbing over fallen trunks to allow her to explore and gain strength, while ensuring they do not lose her in the matrix of branches in the canopy. For her part, Karaba still appears to appreciate the presence of the caregivers, despite being increasingly ready to live as a wild orangutan. We believe that she will soon be ready to go out on her own. 2017-03-04_Klinik_dwn_145_Karaba_wm Karaba was recently relocated to the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) Quarantine in preparation for formal release. She has demonstrated to staff that she is ready to face the tests of life in the wild. She has an expansive knowledge of the foods the forest has to offer, with a preference for Kalakai leaves. For both humans and orangutans these leaves have nutritional benefits and are particularly effective when an individual is ill. Karaba is also an impressive termite hunter. She pauses motionless on the forest floor and then suddenly bounds over to a spot on the ground to uncover a termite mound. With smaller mounds, she clasps them in her hand and brings the entirety to her mouth. Using her mouth and large lips she repeats the action of “suck, suck – pause – suck, suck – pause –” splitting up the pattern occasionally when she brings the mound to her eye to peer inside. 2017-03-04_Klinik_dwn_089_Karaba_wm Karaba has also been building nests successfully. With her lip lowered and relaxed in concentration, she begins. First, she seeks out branches with leaves and carries them in her mouth to a secluded area. She places the branches carefully, creating a flattened pile, snapping branches in half if they extend too far beyond the edges of her construction. As the branches flatten and accumulate, a mat-like structure is formed. This creates a comfortable protection from the bites of ants and whatever else might be lurking under the brown and arid fallen leaves. She adds twigs to certain areas in piles of four and five. After her work is done, Karaba happily slumps down on her back into her creation. She sometimes finds an unused branch to use as a fan while she lies satisfied and content, cooling down after the activity. Lying on her back and looking up, Karaba is relaxed for a moment, leisurely swaying her wrist with the branch fan to create a gentle breeze. These breaks are usually temporary though, as she enjoys making two or even three nests during daily release, and doesn’t waste any time when there are endless corners of forest to explore! For now, Karaba accepts the presence of human caregivers and entertains observation with a spirit of companionship. In this instance, human and orangutan are simply three individuals (as she is usually followed by two people), sharing the same day in the same forest, all hot under the morning sun. But Karaba does not belong with people, she belongs to the forest. The wild is her true home, where nests can be made and slept in the entire night, and where her meticulous habits will aid her in finding a wide array of seasonal forest foods. Karaba needs the forest for all the nutrients and materials for her survival, but the forest also needs orangutans who play a critical role in seed dispersal. Relying on the bounty of the forest, orangutans in turn steward the growth of Borneo’s forests. 2017-03-09_Klinik_dwn_003_Karaba_wm OFI is doing everything we can to provide opportunities for orangutans like ex-captive Karaba to return to the wild and continue the ancient interdependent relationship between orangutan and forest. But both orangutans and precious forest lands continue to dwindle. You have the power to work with OFI to help protect the forest ecosystems of Borneo. Through raising awareness and making donations, you can help OFI create a pathway back to the forest for Karaba and other orangutans. 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