ARE ORANGUTANS EMPATHETIC?
It was a usual day at the Nyaru Menteng forest school, where young orangutans were learning from one another while their human surrogate mothers looked on from below.
The BOS Foundation family joyfully welcomes the first wild-born baby orangutan in Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest and congratulates the proud new Mum, Astrid!
We are delighted to announce that Astrid delivered a beautiful baby this month in the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. The news came yesterday from Nyaru Menteng as they received an early report via satellite phone from the Batikap Team, creating much excitement both in Nyaru Menteng and here in the Headquarters in Bogor. Perfect news to welcome the holiday season and give hope for 2013, and a perfect Christmas present from Mother Nature!
Although we can’t be 100% sure until later DNA analysis, Tarzan is suspected to be the father. As orangutans also go through an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy - similar to humans, the baby would have been conceived sometime in late March/April, during which time, as we often reported in many of our previous monitoring updates, Tarzan and Astrid (and also Monic) have formed a very close relationship since their release on February 28, 2012.
Astrid when she was around 7-month pregnant. Photo by: Purnomo.
Tarzan reportedly guards around Astrid’s nest at all times! Photo by Anna Marzec.
Reportedly, Tarzan also acts as a proud new dad, giving Astrid the support that she needs by guarding around her nest at all times! Because Tarzan is always around and Astrid is of course still very sensitive, it is impossible for us to get a closer look at the baby, thus we still can’t confirm whether it’s a boy or a girl. Furthermore, we also don’t want to cause any maternal stress to Astrid and prefer to take things slowly, giving Astrid the space and privacy that she needs.
We will update more about Astrid, Tarzan and their new baby when we know more from the Batikap Team. But this is definitely the best news in 2012. Tears of joy! Join us to celebrate a blessed beginning of life in the wild and welcome Astrid’s new baby with great love into their forest home of Bukit Batikap and into our hearts.
Congratulations, Astrid and Tarzan!
It was a usual day at the Nyaru Menteng forest school, where young orangutans were learning from one another while their human surrogate mothers looked on from below.
Our Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) team at Camp Himba Pambelum in Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR), Central Kalimantan, encountered Suci, a young female orangutan, three times back in 2023.
Kopral has been receiving treatment at the clinic since April 2023 due to wounds on the sole of his right foot and fungus between his toes.
