RESCUED ORANGUTANS
Gito
This a video of little Gito looking very well in recovery however the condition he arrived in was heart breaking and shocking, even to the most hardened rescuers! International Animal Rescue had received a call about a baby orangutan being kept as a pet in a village. One of the staff went out to search for him. Gito was found abandoned in a cardboard box and left out in the sun with no protection. He was just a few hours from death and was suffering from acute sarcoptic mange infection. Villagers who keep orangutans illegally, often keep them under the house with the livestock in filthy conditions. It was likely Gito picked up his infection from pigs. The rescuer placed Gito on the back of his motorbike and drove non stop through the night to get him to vet Nigel Hicks and the OVAID team. Gito needed several weeks of intensive care and intravenous feed but he was a real fighter. He is now doing well at baby school but he has a long 7 to 8 years ahead of rehabilitation, learning all the skills he needs so he can survive in the wild. That is how long a youngster stays with their Mother for in the wild. If you click on the link here you can see a video of Gito when he first arrived but be prepared for a very poor looking Gito.
Udin
photo provided by OVAID
Udin was rescued in 2015 by International Animal Rescue. He arrived in a card box, having been confiscated from a ‘pet home’ and ended up in the fab hands of vet Nigel Hicks and the OVAID team. Udin was mentally traumatised, very dehydrated and would not eat, he was thin but had no physical wounds. Udin was on intravenous therapy for two weeks and Sara nursed him constantly. After about 10 days of constant re-assurance, love and attention, Udin started to realise he was being helped and that was a turning point in his recovery. Two years on and Udin is now doing very well in forest school. He is Sara’s all-time favourite orangutan. Udin must have melted Sara’s heart more than most because I know how much all those Orangutans are loved dearly.
Okto
photo provided by Orangutan Foundation
In 2014 Okto was found in a town by the local government wildlife department and given to the Orangutan Foundation to look after. Okto has been in their care from the age of two and he is now about 5 and a half years old. Okto used to live with a female orangutan called Ketty but she has now been released back into the wild. Okto now lives in an area of protected rainforest, a place called Camp Buluh and has a new playmate called Shifa. Okto has been learning how to climb trees and which forest fruits to eat. He often likes to climb the same tree as Shifa and tease her. Okto is a cheeky orangutan, very clever, he loves to be the centre of attention and often spends his time teasing the staff as well.