Rahayu has been transferred to Rangkong Island thanks to her excellent development and progress with wild orangutan behaviour and forest skills.
Beautiful Rahayu in the canopy
Rangkong Island is used as a pre-release training ground for good candidates for reintroduction in the pristine forest of Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park. The island is big, and the forest offers great opportunities for the release candidates to explore and learn more about the wild. Rahayu and seven other orangutans are on the island.
On a very positive note, Rahayu's activity budget has improved quite significantly. Recently, Rahayu has been observed to often follow the mother-daughter pair, Rika and Aben, who’s most prevailing activities are travelling and foraging. Although Rahayu's foraging ability can be said to be unchanged because the types of natural food encountered on the island are not as diverse as in the wild, Rahayu now seems more adept at hunting termites.
This month, the medical team carried out a full medical examination on Rahayu. She is in a healthy condition and weighs 36.4 kilograms. Even though her crossed eyes still pose some limitations on her activities, Rahayu has shown to be a good forager and her chances of being considered for release are high. Rahayu’s ability to make nests is also quite good. She is now proficient in making new nests or repairing old ones for a good nap or night’s sleep.
Rahayu enjoys all the supplementary food provided by the keepers and isn’t fussy. She also plays fair. She doesn't like taking other orangutans' food and she is also strong enough to defend her food when other orangutans bother her.
On the Island, Rahayu enjoys enrichment up to two times a day. The enrichment provided is usually a wooden stick with several holes filled with fruits or nuts. This kind of enrichment keeps her entertained for a while in addition to providing supplemental feeding and assisting her to enhance her manipulative abilities. Rahayu also gets honeybee hives as enrichment which is one of her favorites!
Thank you to Rahayu’s adopters for helping this beautiful girl on her journey.
