Endangered orangutan nursed back to health being rescued from a chicken coop as a baby
This endangered orangutan has made an incredible recovery after being rescued from a chicken coop as a baby.Orphan Budi was discovered when he was less than a year old, lying on the floor in a tiny chicken cage, and his emaciated condition brought his rescuers to tears.The Bornean orangutan had been imprisoned in a cage for at least ten months and was severely malnourished as he had never eaten any solid food.Protein deficiency had caused his limbs to swell up with fluid, so with every movement he would scream out in pain.He had been surrendered by his owner to International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia, who kept him in her home in Kubing in Ketapang, West Borneo, and admitted he was ill.For the first year of his life, the tiny primate was fed a diet of exclusively condensed milk causing him to waste away and develop anaemia.But rescuers from the forestry department, BKSDA, and IAR Indonesia discovered him just in time, and he was taken to a rescue centre in Sungai Awan in December 2014.At first he was so weak that he couldn't even sit up by himself, and had to be treated for a severe metabolic disease affecting his bones. His limbs were malformed because malnutrition has prevented them from developing properly.Lis Key, spokesperson IAR Indonesia, said: "At first even swallowing was difficult for Budi since he had never been fed on any solid food and didn't even know how to chew."As well as being fed a nutritious diet of fruits and vegetables, as befits an orangutan, Budi was given regular physiotherapy and encouraged to walk, then climb, in order to get his limbs moving after so long in a small confined space. "The vets and caregivers at IAR's rescue centre would encourage him to build up his strength by climbing on a small climbing frame."In the video he can be seen stomping around with his keeper, beaming as he plays in some foliage and drinking with a bottle completely independently.He was eventually introduced to another baby orang-utan, Jemmi, where they lived and played together in their own enclosure.Now at seven years old, Budi is all grown up and attends Forest School on Pulau Besar Island in Malaysia with 12 other orang-utans.At a healthy 22kgs he is learning how to swing through trees and forage for food, and has even learnt how to build his own nest.Lis said: "Orangutans have to have developed a certain degree of independence before they move into Forest school and not be too needy and clingy, either to other orangutans or to the keepers who watch over them. "They have to move confidently up in the tree canopy, be able to forage for food in the trees and identify what is good to eat and what to avoid. "As the orangutans develop more wild behaviour, they are less likely to pay attention to their keepers. "They can certainly be playful and mischievous, particularly once they are back to full health and strength."The cheeky primate loves to annoy his keepers and enjoys the attention of the ladies, and is on his way to be reintroduced to the rainforest in the near future.
This endangered orangutan has made an incredible recovery after being rescued from a chicken coop as a baby.Orphan Budi was discovered when he was less than a year old, lying on the floor in a tiny chicken cage, and his emaciated condition brought his rescuers to tears.The Bornean orangutan had been imprisoned in a cage for at least ten months and was severely malnourished as he had never eaten any solid food.Protein deficiency had caused his limbs to swell up with fluid, so with every movement he would scream out in pain.He had been surrendered by his owner to International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia, who kept him in her home in Kubing in Ketapang, West Borneo, and admitted he was ill.For the first year of his life, the tiny primate was fed a diet of exclusively condensed milk causing him to waste away and develop anaemia.But rescuers from the forestry department, BKSDA, and IAR Indonesia discovered him just in time, and he was taken to a rescue centre in Sungai Awan in December 2014.At first he was so weak that he couldn't even sit up by himself, and had to be treated for a severe metabolic disease affecting his bones.
His limbs were malformed because malnutrition has prevented them from developing properly.Lis Key, spokesperson IAR Indonesia, said: "At first even swallowing was difficult for Budi since he had never been fed on any solid food and didn't even know how to chew."As well as being fed a nutritious diet of fruits and vegetables, as befits an orangutan, Budi was given regular physiotherapy and encouraged to walk, then climb, in order to get his limbs moving after so long in a small confined space.
"The vets and caregivers at IAR's rescue centre would encourage him to build up his strength by climbing on a small climbing frame."In the video he can be seen stomping around with his keeper, beaming as he plays in some foliage and drinking with a bottle completely independently.He was eventually introduced to another baby orang-utan, Jemmi, where they lived and played together in their own enclosure.Now at seven years old, Budi is all grown up and attends Forest School on Pulau Besar Island in Malaysia with 12 other orang-utans.At a healthy 22kgs he is learning how to swing through trees and forage for food, and has even learnt how to build his own nest.Lis said: "Orangutans have to have developed a certain degree of independence before they move into Forest school and not be too needy and clingy, either to other orangutans or to the keepers who watch over them.
"They have to move confidently up in the tree canopy, be able to forage for food in the trees and identify what is good to eat and what to avoid.
"As the orangutans develop more wild behaviour, they are less likely to pay attention to their keepers.
"They can certainly be playful and mischievous, particularly once they are back to full health and strength."The cheeky primate loves to annoy his keepers and enjoys the attention of the ladies, and is on his way to be reintroduced to the rainforest in the near future.
