Born free
Happy about new orangutan baby in Borneo
Orangutan Ajeng and her baby in the Kehje Sewen reintroduction forest on Borneo. Photo: -/BOS Foundation/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Ajeng was once held in captivity but has been living in Borneo’s rainforest for six years. Now the orangutan lady has even had offspring.
Good news from the Kehje Sewen reintroduction forest on Borneo: A female orangutan rescued from illegal animal husbandry in 2007 has become a mother for the first time in freedom – after a long wait.
An observation team discovered the now 16-year-old Ajeng in the jungle with her offspring and was also able to take photos of the little one, as the BOS (Borneo Orangutan Survival) foundation announced on Monday. “What beautiful and hopeful news in these dark times,” said the animal rights activists.
“The baby born in freedom is more than just a glimmer of hope: the next generation of truly free and wild orangutans is slowly but steadily growing up in our sanctuary,” said Daniel Merdes, Managing Director of BOS Germany, the German Press Agency. Female orangutans have few offspring in their lifetime because the young stay with their mother for six to eight years. “That’s why every wild-born orangutan baby is a celebration of conservation.”
Ajeng was rescued from illegal pet ownership 15 years ago as a one-year-old and entered the BOS forest school in Samboja Lestari in Indonesian Borneo. She was “a smart and ambitious forest student” who, as a nine-year-old, already showed all the skills that a wild orangutan should master, reports BOS.
After her release in 2015, the monkey lady was extremely coquettish: “She flirted intensely with a wild orangutan, had an affair with Robert, a love story with Tiny and finally caught a real jungle king with Rafli,” says BOS. Only the hope of meeting her with a baby was dashed every time – until now. It is still unclear whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl. That’s why the monkey child is still nameless.