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 is now entering the fourth month since it closed its rehabilitation centres to visitors, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Over this time, we have remained committed to providing the best care possible for all of the orangutans under our charge at both the Nyaru Menteng and Samboja Lestari orangutan rehabilitation centres.
In addition to applying stricter health protocols and adjusting our daily standard operating procedures, we have also changed our staff’s work roster by adopting a ‘2 days on, 2 days off' system, with each team member assigned to a particular area for their shifts. As stated by Vet Arga during an interview on our live Instagram stream a few days ago, the opportunity for staff members to meet face-to-face on the job is now quite rare.
The BOS Foundation has adopted the 'One Health' approach, which requires all staff members working in our rehabilitation centres to be in good health, in order to keep the orangutans healthy as well. This means that the number of staff who are able to interact directly with the orangutans has also been limited.
Three months of working under these unique conditions has certainly had an effect on how our staff members operate. The positive is that they are now familiar with the more restrictive work protocols and they have adjusted to this ‘new normal’ as outlined by the government.
To ensure that the orangutans at our rehabilitation centres are protected from possible COVID-19 exposure, the BOS Foundation has conducted rapid tests on personnel at both its rehabilitation centres. These tests have been made possible thanks to the generous support of the government and local health institutions.
The BOS Foundation has also prepared steps for the worst case scenario, if a test were to be positive. Thankfully, thus far, all test results indicate that none of our field staff members have been exposed to the coronavirus. You too can help us save orangutans from your home, simply by visiting our website.
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.
