Almost all the orangutans that come to the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project have to deal with trauma.
They have been taken away from their mothers too yearly (orangutans typically stay with their mothers until they are 6-8 years of age) and many have witnessed their mothers being killed. Bulan is one such infant. Her owners kept her as a pet for 6-8 months, after killing her mother on a logging expedition. Bulan did not want to share her new, surrogate mother with other orangutans when she first arrived at Nyaru Menteng. She was so scared that she would loose her mother for a second time, that she would refuse to eat and drink if the babysitter paid too much attention to one of the other little orphans.
In the end Bulan had to be given her own babysitter, because she became quite ill.
There has been quite a change in Bulan. She has put on weight, became strong, healthy and above all confident. Bulan is now a real tomboy. She mostly plays with the boys and often wins her little play fights. She also enjoys wrestling the babysitters, but they often flee because she likes to play so rough. She spends some time in the trees now, but still not enough.
For now she is just having fun. Learning we hope will come later.
Bulan’s health status has not changed, still suspected of tuberculosis (TB). Two recent tests still come out positive with TB. Test results are now undergoing a further test, called PCR, in a hospital in Jakarta. With PCR, we can find out the exact type of micro-bacteria that might cause the TB. We are still waiting for the result as a PCR process does normally take quite a while. She is no longer in Forest School and is placed in a quarantine facility. She needs to be monitored closely until we receive the result of her PCR. Physically, Bulan looks healthy. She is eating well and has gained weight. Her hair is growing longer and looks clean.
It is our hope that Bulan will recover soon, so she can continue the rehabilitation program and eventually be released in the wild.
