KOPRAL’S HEALING UPDATE

Since April 2023, Kopral has been receiving treatment at the clinic for wounds on the sole of his right foot and fungus between his toes. Find out how he is doing.

While Kopral stayed the first two months directly at the clinic, the veterinary team decided to relocate Kopral in June 2023. Due to the renovations and expansion of the orangutan clinic, the treatment cage area has become exposed. Therefore, the nearby individual enclosure area is better suited for his treatment.

Fortunately, the wound on the sole of his foot has healed and closed. The vet team still treats the fungus between his toes with antifungal medicines. Only his ankle remains stiff. The good news is that the previously torn and open skin has healed and is growing back normally.

So far, he has been walking about, but only by using the back of his foot.
To further Kopral’s ankle treatment, our veterinary team met with a human orthopaedic expert to discuss the possible causes of his ankle’s poor condition.

According to their analysis, without intervention, Kopral could develop contracture or stiff muscles in his leg. This condition would be marked by a pronounced absence of mobility in muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments.

The veterinarians treat Kopral’s ankle with infrared light therapy and the sole of his foot with coconut oil, betadine, and antifungal medication. Kopral is also receiving positive reinforcement training to ease the application of treatments and keep him stimulated.

Everything the team does is to aid in his foot’s recovery. The training workout consists of him using his feet to fish with toy sticks while the team reinforces this moment by giving him a tasty, nutritious diet and medicinal beverages. During this exercise, Kopral cleverly moves his foot to the opposite side of the cage for five minutes. He can also balance nicely during the training.

Kopral’s weight has increased to 67 kg, making him overweight for an orangutan of his age. As a result, our veterinary and nutrition teams have agreed that Kopral needs to start a light diet. The amount of food offered to him now is approximately 4 kg, with a 3:1 ratio (3 kg of vegetables and 1 kg of fruits). Kopral still receives a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, including papaya leaves, cucumbers, figs, long beans, carrots, eggplants, watermelon, papaya, snake fruit, guava, rambutan, pineapple, and dragon fruit.

We can’t wait for Kopral’s full recovery and return to Island 3. You’ve got this, Kopral!

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