In the wild, a nine-month-old orangutan infant is entirely dependant on their mother. A mother picks the correct food for them to eat, carries them by their side through the forest, and builds a nest every night to shelter in.

Timtom at nine-months-old however was not able to rely on her mother for guidance. Somewhere along the way she had been separated from her mother and in 2016 was rescued from life as a pet by local government officials BKSDA Kalimantan Tengah. To offer Timtom a second chance of a wild future she was entrusted into Orangutan Foundation’s soft-release programme for orphaned orangutans where instead of climbing the bars of a cage, she could climb trees every day in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve.

In the safety of a protected forest, Timtom has matured over the past six years from the shy and hesitant infant we first met, into a healthy and self-assured young orangutan. Timtom shares her temporary home at Camp JL with three other orphans and enjoys climbing with them in the trees. Most days she’s taken to the forest with Boy, a male orangutan 18-months older than her, but when she begins to tire in the afternoon Timtom often makes her way down to the forest floor to play on her own. This is where her unique personality really shines through!

According to our Reintroduction Manager Mr. Azhari, Timtom is an adept climber and has no difficulties scaling the tallest trees but instead she prefers to roll around and play on the forest floor. Perhaps as she’s spent time with humans from such an early age, Timtom has become accustomed to a life on terra firma and has no problems letting her fellow campmates play together in the trees while she’s down on the ground.

Timtom’s inquisitive nature is truly on show when she’s exploring the leaf litter on the forest floor. When she’s not digging a deep hole with her hands and rubbing sand on her head, she’s seeking out the nearest puddle to rummage in and spread wet mud all over her face. It may be messy but in the heat of the day it is a great way to cool off!

This playful and somewhat childish behaviour is certainly entertaining for our team to watch but it also shows that Timtom is not yet ready to be released into the forest on her own. While she may be a talented climber in the trees, she’s not begun practicing nest-building like the other great apes at camp, an essential skill for any wild orangutan.

Our staff have seen other young orangutans put their juvenile behaviours behind them and have successful releases into the wild, so we are confident that with more time Timtom will be able to join them in the forest. Until that day comes, we will continue to provide Timtom will all the support she needs to be the wild orangutan we know she can be.