TEMON & LAHEI BREAKS THE JUNGLE RULES
Do you remember the story of Temon and Lahei, the duo who once disappeared from Forest School?
“She was always special… A little princess with beautiful hair and red lips…” said Anta, a former veterinarian of the BOS Foundation who was on duty at the time this female orangutan arrived and was in charge of her health and welfare for the first few years of her stay at Samboja Lestari.
According to Vet Anta, she was a healthy orangutan but they were struggling to keep her alive because she didn’t seem to have enough will to live. And because she was “Miss Clean” and always played inside, she became the target of bullying by other orangutans in her group. The babysitters had to keep a close eye on her otherwise she would be bullied. So the problem was not physical, but psychological. The first thing to do was to build her self-confidence. And the Forest School successfully gave her that.
“That’s why I was delightfully surprised and so touched that she is now ready to be released!” Anta wrote excitedly on a text message sent to Vet Agus, Samboja Lestari’s current Program Manager. “She was one of the weakest. I’m so happy to learn that she is now a dominant female, intelligent and independent. Forest School does work!” Anta added enthusiastically.
Forest School does work, indeed. She graduated top of her class and was relocated to the Socialization Enclosure A with Noel, Agus, Acong and the rest of the orangutans who are considered ready to be released. And there she waited, killing time and boredom by taking advantage of all enrichment materials provided for her.
After graduating Forest School, she was placed at the Socialization Enclosure A (Photo credit: BOSF 2013)
A copy of her medical record when she first arrived at Samboja Lestari (Photo credit: BOSF 2013)
When teased, she makes cute duck faces at you! (Photo credit: BOSF 2013)
At the Socialization Enclosure, she was looked after by three Technicians – Yadi, Masino, and Imam. The three technicians also had a special memory about her. “Whenever she wanted some water to drink or to bathe, she threw things at us. Most of the time she threw coconut fibers at us to let us know she was thirsty or wanted a shower,” they recalled, laughing at the memory.
While Vet Agus and Vet Agnes both loved to tease her. They would ask her to show her teeth and she would press her face on the enclosure bars and purse her lips, making a duck face at them.
She really is a special orangutan. Letting her go into the wild is bittersweet for the team at Samboja Lestari. But letting her go, they must. It is time. She no longer has to wait, killing time and boredom by playing with enrichment tools, throwing things at technicians, and making duck faces at veterinarians. She is going home!
She will be the 100th ORANGUTAN to return to the forest!
Who is she?
Keep watching this space (and our Facebook pages and Twitters) to find out the answer soon!
Do you remember the story of Temon and Lahei, the duo who once disappeared from Forest School?
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