Orangutan Stories: Aan

Rescues are an essential pillar of our work as they save orangutans in need. The majority of rescues take place in oil-palm plantations or community land where orangutans can become stranded and unable to find suitable forest habitat in which to survive.

After medical check-ups, most adult rescued orangutans are able to be swiftly released back into a natural habitat that is protected such as the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. However due to the injuries inflicted on female orangutan Aan, she is an unfortunate exception to this rule.

On her rescue from an oil-palm plantation in 2012, our team discovered that Aan’s left eyeball was missing entirely and under initial inspection, it was clear that she was malnourished and that her body was peppered with wounds from air rifle pellets. It was estimated that there were around 12 pellets visible in her skin but an X-ray would be required to find out the true extent of her injuries.

Incredibly it was revealed that Aan had in fact been shot over 100 times; 67 times on her arms, legs, and torso, and 37 on her head. It was truly remarkable that she was still alive.

Following a successful operation (below), 30 rifle pellets were safely removed from around Aan’s face whilst the remaining bullets were too deep under the skin and not doing any harm. She was then transported to the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve where she could recover and gather her strength.

It soon became apparent that Aan’s right eye was also not responsive, and unless this sight could be restored, she would never be able to be released back into the wild for her own safety.

A ray of hope came in 2017 when a group of vets from the UK travelled to Borneo to operate on Aan’s remaining eye (below). At first there was cautious optimism as Aan’s cataract was removed and her optic nerve was still intact, however once she had come round from the anaesthetic, it appeared that unfortunately the damage she had previously sustained was too much.

Aan is now around 20 years old. In the wild she may have been raising her first or second infant, but instead she must be cared for as she cannot survive by herself. Our team continue to feed, stimulate, and provide enrichment by giving her tree branches and updating her enclosure at Camp Gemini, but it is difficult not to imagine how different her life would be in other circumstances.

Aan’s future has been determined by the damage inflicted to her by humas in the past, and we hope that she is the last orangutan in our care that cannot go back to where she belongs- the wild.

Orangutan Stories: Suwita

Biologically speaking, humans and orangutans are similar as we share around 97% of the same DNA. It could be said that orangutans also share comparable traits with us when it comes to parenting, as mothers teach their young essential skills for later life, and provide them with shelter each night.

As Orangutan Foundation’s founder and director/trutee, Ashley Leiman, says: “It is very special to watch a mother and infant together. I think the bond is so exceptional because orangutans are solitary. I’ve seen gorillas and chimps with offspring and the whole group is involved in the upbringing. Likewise elephants - if a calf falls over, all the aunties and extended family reach out to pick it up and get it back on its feet. With orangutans, all that care and teaching and relationship is condensed into the mother-infant bond. The mother’s eyes are never off the young”.

Suwita gives our team a rare glimpse of her young infant

Wild female orangutan Suwita has shown these crucial maternal characteristics over the previous weeks as she carefully looks after her new baby and appears to be showing the nurturing instincts you would expect for an orangutan mother’s first offspring.

Suwita was born in the forest near Camp Rasak in 2009 and of the four new wild orangutan mothers discovered recently within the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Suwita looks to be the most protective of her new baby.

Our field teams are continuously monitoring wild and reintroduced orangutans inside this protected habitat, and to help keep a visual record of their development, we try and take photographs from a suitable distance. Following careful observations of Suwita, it has now been discovered that her offspring is in fact male and has been given the name Samuel, but it hasn’t been easy to get a clear sight of the young primate.

Young Samuel is kept close as his mother feeds

Unlike the other recent orangutan mothers who almost appear to show off their newborns, Suwita is very protective to the extent that our team initially struggled somewhat in identifying the sex of her infant. When sat on a branch in trees Suwita rests her son securely on her lap to feed, and when travelling through the canopy she always makes sure that Samuel is safe and holding on tight, away from prying eyes.

Suwita is proving to be a doting mother to Samuel. It’s quite possible that her protective nature has developed from memories of her mother Sawit, but whatever the reason, it’s wonderful for us to observe a wild orangutan so caring for her first offspring.

Orangutan Stories: Sheila

Sheila is a female orangutan who was reintroduced to the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve in 2004 and is now one our regular visitors to Camp Gemini within the forest. Her story is one that mirrors many orangutans that have been translocated to the safety of this Reserve, and one that shows how suited this environment is for a healthy population of orangutans.

Sheila and her third offspring Sony forage for food in the trees.

Our field team have monitored Sheila’s progress since her arrival into the forest at around five years of age and recorded all of the major events in her life. From the unfortunate passing of her one-year-old son Shola in 2007, to the births of her daughter Sakura in 2008 and son Sony in 2014. Sakura is now at an age where she can roam independently in the forest, but young Sony is still spotted at camp shadowing his mother from time to time.

Sakura (left) is now an adolescent exploring the forest independently, while Sony (right) is becoming more self-reliant but still stays in close proximity to his mother.

While all three orangutans live entirely in the wild, they are observed by our team when they come near to camp to ensure that they remain in good health. In recent months however, Orangutan Foundation staff saw that Sheila’s throat sack had grown bigger, an unusual occurrence for female orangutans. Males commonly have larger throat sacks, acting as echo-chambers as they produce their resonating long-call through the forest, but typically females do not.

Following some deliberation it was the decision of our vet Dr Dimas that the best course of action would be to observe Sheila more closely and anesthetise her so that her throat could be suitably checked. One afternoon with Sony playing in a nearby tree, our team were able to carefully sedate Sheila and begin their examination.

Generally Sheila appeared to be in good health, however a syringe would need to be inserted into her throat sack to check whether it contained excess air or fluid which may need releasing. In reality though, it turned out to be neither of these things. Instead it was discovered that Sheila had an extra layer of fat which fortunately is not suspected to be harmful to her wellbeing. Dr Dimas was happy to give Sheila a supplementary vitamin injection and clean bill of health to go back into the forest.

Her progress will continue to be monitored, but it is tremendously reassuring for our team to know that orangutans like Sheila in this forest are prospering in a protected natural habitat.

Caged for 7 years. Young orangutan kept as a pet is finally offered a lifeline

It’s never a phone call we wish to receive, but in the same week that our team rescued a pair of wild orangutans from an isolated oil palm plantation, we received news of another orangutan being kept as a pet also in need of rescue. The owner had contacted government officials as they could no longer care for the ape, and therefore Orangutan Foundation staff were called upon to assist.

Arriving at the property where the orangutan was being kept in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, it quickly became apparent that the individual had been kept there a very long time. Our team tentatively approached a wooden crate with litter strewn on the ground surrounding it.

The orangutan had been named Pegi by her owner. It transpired that Pegi was a female orangutan found as a 1-year-old in 2012 and incredibly had been living in her cramped wooden crate as a pet for the following 7 years on a diet of rice, noodles, fruit and sugary drinks. Certainly not a diet suitable for orangutans.

After obtaining as much information about the young orangutan as possible and informing the owner of the prohibitions around keeping wild animals’ captive, our team freed Pegi from her cage and transported her to a government facility (BKSDA) where her health could be inspected.

Fortunately under examination Pegi seemed in good health, and as her blood tests received the all-clear, she was ready to be taken to her new home at Camp Buluh in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. It’s here that she’ll join another orphaned orangutan, Okto, in our soft-release programme, with the hope of one day being released into the wild.

The early years of any orangutan’s life are the most important in order to learn how to survive in the wild. With Pegi’s traumatic start to her young life, and perhaps never even climbing a tree before, she will need encouragement to learn these skills in the best possible training ground there is- the forest.

Pegi is given some browse as a form of enrichment

Young orangutan rescued

Yesterday, we rescued a young orangutan, aged approximately 5-years-old. Sadly, the mother was absent, we don’t know what happened to her but most likely she has died, mother orangutans would not readily abandon their offspring.

Tranquillised orangutan, named Panglima

The Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) team was made up of the Central Kalimantan Wildlife Department (BKSDA) and Orangutan Foundation. The Wildlife Department had received reports about an orangutan seen in a community orchard. The rescue team drove 45 minutes from the town of Pangkalan Bun to the reported location in the Pangkalan Lima area, South Arut District.

Orangutan nest high up in the tree

When the team arrived they saw two nests in one tree, but there was no sign of an orangutan. After a while the team decided to return to Pangkalan Bun. In the afternoon, the team received another report about the orangutan and so they returned. This time they saw a young orangutan very high up in the trees. The team decided to follow the orangutan until it nested in hope they could get a clear shot with the dart gun. Unfortunately they couldn’t and because it was getting dark and unsafe they decided to return very early the next morning, when hopefully the orangutan would still be in his nest.

Preparing the dart gun to tranquillise the young orangutan

Climbing up the tree to rescue the sedated wild orangutan.

The next morning, in the torrential rain, the rescue team arrived at the nest location at 4.30am. The orangutan was found above a nest, not far from where they had left him. The dart gun was prepared so that the orangutan could be tranquillised. They managed to get a clear shot and the orangutan fell into its nest. One of the rescue team climbed a 10-meter tall tree and managed to carry the orangutan down.

The Orangutan Foundation vet immediately conducted an examination and the orangutan was male, weighing approximately 15kg and was estimated at around 5-years-old. Our vet, Dr. Dimas Yufrizar, took blood samples for laboratory tests and gave injections of multivitamins and antibiotics.

The orangutan has been named Panglima (relating to the rescue location) - giving orangutans names helps the field staff with post-release monitoring and communications.

Tranquillised orangutan being examined by Orangutan Foundation vet

Panglima was transported to the Pangkalan Bun BKSDA SKW II office where he is being kept temporarily in a holding cage. Hendra Gunawan, Orangutan Foundation Program Manager said BKSDA have requested that the orangutan be translocated to the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, a protected area. Before release, Hendra said Panglima will be isolated until his blood tests return and then habituated for three months. His condition will be monitored by the Orangutan Foundation vet and field staff.

The rescue team are confident that Panglima’s release into the reserve will be successful and that he will go on to live a wild and safe life in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.

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