A non-profit organisation in Indonesia is preparing baby orangutans for life in the wild by teaching them survival skills such as awareness of dangerous snakes, how to climb trees, build nests and forage for food.
Thousands of orangutans are displaced from their forest homes or killed every year because of mass deforestation, rampant forest fires, poaching for consumption and the illegal pet trade.
The NGO, Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation steps in to rescue any apes that survive their trauma or are reported as captive.
Nicola Walpen, the Campaign Officer for the BOS Foundation, said: “They are immediately assessed and treated, before being quarantined and then placed into the appropriate stage of the rehabilitation process.
“The youngest orangutans join the Nursery Group, while juveniles are placed in Forest School and are taught the skills they will need to survive in the wild.
“They must learn everything about forest life; from how to access all the natural foods on offer, to how to build secure nests."
Footage of their rehabilitation filmed at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, shows the baby orangutans during their courses on how to live in the forest.
They are seen learning how to climb trees and swaying between trees as well as building nests high up for them to rest and sleep in.
The videos also show the staff teaching them how to source food.
It shows the orangutans learning how to eat invertebrates from a tree on the forest floor and peeling back the exterior of plants to retrieve the edible inner pith, which are two very important food sources for them.
The rescued apes also attend a regular crash course in snake awareness as many can pose dangerous threats to orangutans so awareness of these reptiles is vital knowledge for the orphans.
Their rehabilitation ensures that they are able to keep themselves safe from predators, identify food sources and move freely throughout the forest.
Once the apes become proficient in all necessary survival skills, they are moved to a socialisation complex in large enclosures to learn how to interact with one another.
Nicola added: “The final test is when they are moved to a forested, pre-release island where the orangutans have to prove themselves to be capable foragers, adept climbers, innovative nest-builders, and be appropriately wary of humans.
“The proficient candidates are then released at one of three BOS Foundation-managed release sites to be free again.
“Our post-release monitoring team follows them regularly, from a distance, to collect valuable behavioural data regarding their adjustment to life in the wild and to intervene should anything go wrong.”
The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation was founded in 1991, by Willie Smits, Peter Karsono, Asctha Boestani Tajudin, and Joe Cuthbertson.
The founders of BOS were inspired to initiate and establish a formal organisation to save orangutans from the illegal wildlife trade and return them to the wild.
In April 2017, The BOS Foundation gained international attention after its rescue of an albino orangutan, named Alba.
Nicola added: “Alba was discovered starving in a cage in Central Kalimantan, where she had been kept as a pet by villagers.
“She spent almost two years in Nyaru Menteng before she was released back into her natural habitat.”
Nicola emphasised that bold and immediate action is needed to keep orangutans in the wild and protect the forests.
She said: “Together, we can protect orangutans but we MUST act now.
“Orangutan conservation is a global issue. If we lose orangutans, we risk losing forests and all life within them.
“We can protect rainforests from destruction, support local communities and make a real difference.
“We share a range of content about the work we do and put the spotlight on our great team of dedicated people.
“If we don’t stop their destruction, nothing else will matter. It’s as simple as that.
“It’s about your future, and the future of generations to come.”
