The Orangutan Nanny, Another Edition

January/February 2017

This time, I promised myself I'd be consistent with blogging. Promises, promises, promises 🙂 It ended, as always, with blissful laziness. I'm nearing the end of my volunteering, so in this post I'll summarize what happened with the orangutans.

During my first rotation, I worked in a preschool, which I managed to describe. The next rotation involved working with babies. Tourists can't see these orangutans; they're in a special room, and their playground is in the back. Only when they reach a certain age and fitness level are they transferred to the preschool.

I was very curious if anyone new had appeared and how my babies from last year had grown. Beryl and Bidu-Bidu, right after the end of my first project, they were promoted to preschool. In fact, they were doing exceptionally well, so I had the opportunity to meet them during their first rotation. Other than that, the team was the same as last year. Archi, Smallpox i Coco, These adorable little ones have grown a lot! They're still cute, but their progress is most noticeable. From screaming toddlers who weren't keen on climbing trees and playing on ropes, they've grown into independent, confident little orangutans who are already showing their true colors. Sepilok, whom I called "half-baby" a year ago, hasn't changed a bit. He was two years old then, and there was a huge difference between him and the three mentioned above. I don't think he's grown much, and his behavior hasn't changed at all. He hasn't matured at all. I have the impression that the three mentioned above are more mature than him. He's wonderful and sweet, but I don't think he's the brightest orangutan. Goman He hasn't changed at all. He still doesn't like people, he's still mean and rude to other orangutans, and he still often has diarrhea :). That's why I nicknamed him Shitman a year ago. Yesterday confirmed that it's the perfect nickname. He pooped on Archie's... head. Poor Archie had to be washed all over, and even though we were wearing masks, we almost dropped dead from the stench.

A year ago he was still in the nursery Peanut, When she arrived this year, he was in the process of being promoted to preschool. I had a bit of bad luck. During my first rotation, I was in preschool, and Peanut was still in daycare. When I started my rotation at daycare, he moved on to preschool. Nevertheless, it's good to know that another orangutan is doing great and is well on his way to becoming a wild orangutan.

Three new orangutans arrived at the nursery. Alagoo, already quite big and independent, who I think will be similar to Beryl. Mischievous but smart. She likes to grab her ponytail and pull out some hair, which she then plays with 🙂

Musa,A little smaller than Alagoo, a friendly bald guy who can also be moody. He's probably not the biggest fan of climbing trees as soon as one of the regular staff leaves for a moment. Musa tries to climb down the tree or the rope. We, the volunteers, have no authority with him. We can beg and threaten, but he still has us in his corner... However, all it takes is for an employee to look at him, and he'll be quickened back to the rope or tree. One day, when I noticed Musa walking towards me, I started swinging the rope. This works for some orangutans, but never for Musa. This time, he suddenly turned around, and I felt proud that they were finally starting to listen to me, that I was gaining their respect. My joy was premature; I turned around and saw a giggling employee who had decided to play a prank on me. I didn't see him standing behind me; the orangutan started to scurry away at the sight of him, not mine! I should add that this man is a true orangutan whisperer. They love him, they treat him like one of them, and at the same time they respect him and listen to him very much.

The latest new resident is the lovely Bakut. The little one is less than a year old and was kept as a pet. Fortunately, the Wildlife Department found out about it quite quickly. Residents' awareness is changing, and that's what's most important. Someone noticed that a neighbor had an orangutan and notified the authorities. Bakut had a cat, and he was so attached to it that the veterinarian who was there decided to take the cat too. The cat was later separated from Bakut, but gradually, unfortunately, as the orangutan grew, it could have harmed the cat, if not this one, then definitely another. Apparently, they don't like cats. The cat, of course, wasn't abandoned; it's living a happy life with the veterinarian.

Unfortunately, these are my last days in Sepilok. I loved all the orangutans, but I don't know if I'll ever return to this project. I'll definitely return to Sepilok; I definitely want to continue helping, just maybe in a slightly different way than before.

In the photo: Itinban aka Itchy Bum