Gorgeous George shines at Samboja
7th April 2016
Who could forget George, the beautiful baby orangutan rescued by the Samboja Lestari rescue team on 19 May, 2015. Our baby boy has since grown into an amazing young orangutan in the Forest School Baby Group.
At the tender age of just 18 months, George has already shown positive progress. Among his peers, George is the one who mostly prefers to spend time alone and rarely seeks pampering from babysitters.
At the Forest School, George now climbs trees as high as five meters. While he still seems hesitant to swing from branch to branch, he has no trouble dangling from them. Whenever he tires of holding on, he usually climbs down to play on the ground.
Under full supervision of the babysitters, George enjoys exploring the Forest School area. As orangutan babies learn survival skills from their mothers, our substitute mothers (the babysitters) need to teach George, and other youngsters like him, essential skills for life in the wild.
Our babysitters report that George is quick to respond to directions given and he is currently learning to identify natural food available in the Forest School area.
Our babysitters happily report that George has a strong, muscular body and composed nature. George is so adorable – everybody wants to cuddle him, but he prefers to be alone up in the trees. We believe George is going with his instincts: to be cautious with humans, for they are one of the most deadly predators for orangutans.
We are grateful to see that George is progressing along nicely. We believe that in time, George will be able to return to his natural habitat in the forest. Stay healthy and keep growing, dear curious George!
Text and photos: Suwardy, BOSF Samboja Lestari Communication Staff
