Orangutan Orphans story featured on BBC Wildlife

[lifelistchase]

Hi fellow Clubsnappers,

Just like to do a sharing of the photographs and story of the Orangutan baby orphans which we've documented in
Kalimantan, Borneo. This conservation photography initiative was already exhibited last year on Mother's Day
at ION Orchard but we hope to continue to share the story and raise greater awareness for our orange furry
friends that we have come to know & love during our 1/2 month stay.

This is not a one-time exhibition or an environmental issue that can be changed overnight. We believe this story
(coupled with photos) can further inspire more people to make a positive difference in their own unique ways;
(Be it parents/teacher teaching their kids about the environment; primatologist working directly in the field -
discovering new scientific facts about the great apes or a photographer/film-maker shining the light on the plight
of the endangered species by connecting the viewers with visual imagery to help us human better understand our
fellow living species, on our one and only home, Earth.

We are also excited to share that our photo story of the Orangutan baby orphans is featured as the lead story on the BBC Wildlife newsletter & website this month! We hope that everyone enjoy the heart-warming photo series in this thread. You can view the short photo story at BBC Wildlife site if you prefer. You can also visit the full online version of the photo exhibition. Do share and spread the word Thank you! Sincerely, C.S.Ling & Ethan Lim of Life List Chase

.

More than 600 orangutan orphans were rescued from illegal pet traders and taken to BOSF
(Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation) Nyaru Menteng, an orangutan rehabilitation and
reintroduction center in Kalimantan, Borneo.

Many of the orphans witnessed their mothers being shot by poachers. They were then taken and
sold into the illegal wildlife trade.

Orangutan babies solely rely on their mothers for milk, warmth and love; staying close to
their mothers for as long as eight years. But the orangutan orphans here in the nursery rely on
human surrogate mothers to take care of them 24/7.

To be continued...

 

[CCx9]

Thanks for posting this. Will be following this thread for sure. God bless you for your good work.

 

[phomag1101]

thank you for sharing! Great work!!

 

[lifelistchase]

Thanks for posting this. Will be following this thread for sure. God bless you for your good work.

thank you for sharing! Great work!!

Thank you CCx9 and phomag1101 for the compliments and encouragement Here's our next part of the Orangutan Orphan photo story.

Surrogate mothers work on daily rotational shift basis to prevent the orphans from becoming emotionally attached to them. The objective is to release them back into the wild one day.

At Nyaru Menteng the milk expenses alone can be as high as 50,000,000 Indonesia Rupiah
(equivalent to £3,500) per month. It costs approximately £120 per month to provide just one
orangutan with milk, food and medical care.

Mikko was the second youngest orangutan when he arrived in February 2010 after being confiscated
from a nearby village. He’s bright and healthy; he likes to play and make friends with everyone.

To be continued...

 

[lifelistchase]

The young orangutans learn and explore in the nursery under the close supervision of their surrogate mothers for several years.

When they are about three years old and above, the young orangutans go to “Forest School” to master the important skills of tree-climbing, food foraging and nest-building.

Most of the orangutans will return to their night cages to sleep but the more daring and mature individuals may spend the night up in the trees, sleeping in their self-built nests.

To be continued...[/QUOTE]

 

[lifelistchase]

To maintain a healthy electrolyte balance, a sodium supplement is given to the orangutans to replenish that lost through perspiration.

Aya is paralysed from the hips down as she was kept in a wooden box only 1mx0.5mx0.5m for many years before her owner finally gave her up to BOSF Nyaru Menteng.

After Nursery and Forest School, successful 'graduates' are carefully selected for release onto the semi-wild Orangutan Island, which is undisturbed by humans. This is Novi and her baby, to whom she gave birth in the wild.

To be continued...

 

[CCx9]

Love this thread. Will be following this as mentioned earlier. Thanks for the great work, Bro Ethan and Sis CS. Two thumbs up for you.

 

[lifelistchase]

Love this thread. Will be following this as mentioned earlier. Thanks for the great work, Bro Ethan and Sis CS. Two thumbs up for you.

Thank you once again, CCx9! Here's the last part of the photo story. Appreciate all who has liked or shared this story. Thank you!

Simona carries two babies on her shoulders as she wades through the swamp. She adopted one of the babies from an inexperienced mother and cared for it as her own when she was already pregnant with her own baby (the one on the right).

Another success story; this orangutan orphan grew up and successfully raised her own baby in the wild.

Orangutans generally do not eat fish, but on Orangutan Island one individual developed an appetite for a fish supper - and many of the others copied

Hercules (age 25) was released to Orangutan Island in 2007, but was brought back to Nyaru Mentang in 2009 due to his old age. He can’t climb on the flooded island during the wet season and has become blind in one eye.

The End.

 

[CCx9]

Thanks for sharing this series. Learnt a lot. Love the pictures. The Orang Utans are now added to my favourite animals list.

 

[lifelistchase]

Thanks for sharing this series. Learnt a lot. Love the pictures. The Orang Utans are now added to my favourite animals list.

That's great to hear Thank you for your support!

 

[stingrey]

Nice work bro.

 

[CCx9]

read in the papers about north sumatra about the burning of the forest that is threatening the Orang Utan population there. So sad