by Vet Christine Nelson
On 13 January we accepted a new arrival at the emergency care center in Ketapang. Her name is Joyce and she had been living with a family for about a year before she was surrendered into our care with the assistance of the Forestry Department of Ketapang (BKSDA Ketapang). She completed the journey from Kendawangan (3 hours south of Ketapang) dressed in the baby clothes she has been used to wearing, and still clean from her daily baths. Joyce has been living closely with humans in the comfort of air conditioning and a bed to sleep in at night, so she will have some big adjustments to make. She appears to be in good health, but her previous diet consisted mostly of rice and milk, so we have already begun the transition to a more complete and nutritious diet.
 |
| Joyce on arrival at the rescue centre |
Her caretakers originally obtained her from a man who was trying to trade her for some petrol for his motorbike. She must have been only a few months old at the time, as she is just over a year old now. Unfortunately, this probably means that her orangutan mother died or, more likely, was killed.
Joyce has lots of energy and has been keeping us busy as she loves to be on the move. Once she passes her health screening tests and her quarantine period is up, we plan to move her to the new rehabilitation center where she can learn about forest life from the other orangutans and the spacious natural environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment