Earlier this month, Ariel, an adolescent, wild male, was spotted playing in the trees near Camp Rasak with a larger, unfamiliar male. This caught the attention of the camp staff, as adult orangutans in the wild do not usually interact with one another due to the semi-solitary nature of the species.

The unknown male was initially named ‘Rio’, but with time and a closer look, the team realised that this was not their first encounter with the individual. The ‘stranger’ was in fact Andy, who was rescued in 2006 as an orphan and subsequently adopted by ex-captive Sawit.

Andy has not been sighted for several years, his absence likely explicable by adolescent wandering; a phenomenon in which juvenile males take off to explore their range, only returning when they reach adulthood. The start of his cheek pads or ‘flanges’ (only found in adult males) are apparent.

Pairing orphans with adoptive mothers is an ideal opportunity as infants receive a more natural upbringing, however it involves overcoming difficult hurdles; it is rare that the timing of an orphan arriving and a suitable mother being available matches, and that the mother accepts the orphan as her own.

In Andy’s case, his adoptive mother Sawit had been through her own difficulties too. Sawit was reintroduced into the wild in 2006 at roughly nine-years-old. Unfortunately, just seven months after this point, Sawit suffered a miscarriage. It was three months following this traumatic event that she adopted Andy as an infant.

Sawit treated Andy as her own for two years, teaching him the skills required for an independent life. Soon enough, Sawit became pregnant and gave birth to her own healthy offspring, Suwita. Staff watched Suwita grow, and she can nowadays be spotted around camp with her own son, Samuel. It is wonderful to see lineages of orangutan descending from successful releases.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances of young, orphaned orangutans, cases such as Andy’s and Sawit’s show the importance of supporting populations of this critically endangered species, only possible through your dedicated support.