LITTLE IQO’S STORY
On 3 November 2022, a resident of Tumbang Kajamei village in Central Kalimantan travelled for four hours by motorcycle to hand over baby orangutan, Iqo to the BOS Foundation team.
When the little female arrived at our Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, she was exhausted and dehydrated. An examination carried out by our veterinary team determined little Iqo’s age was around 12 months old. She had allegedly been kept as a pet for five months and was fed a diet of rice.
Iqo was placed in quarantine for three months alongside Rumba, another young orangutan rescued around the same time, and joined a small Forest School group in late December 2022. Despite Iqo and Rumba spending a lot of time together while undergoing quarantine, each preferred to play on their own in Forest School.
Iqo hanging out in the trees.
As it is currently the rainy season, our Forest School area is dotted with puddles and mud pits, which Iqo and Rumba both enjoy playing in. The two will cover themselves in mud, but clever Iqo has gotten into the habit of cleaning herself in the clearer puddles.
At times, Iqo has been bullied by Ramangai and Onyer, so she now avoids them at all costs. She is somewhat of a loner and enjoys her solitude. However, Iqo still turns to our surrogate mothers – especially Minak Hendra – for comfort when she is being bullied or if she is afraid of new people.
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- Iqo when she first arrived.
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- Iqo during quarantine.
One particularly amusing and memorable time she sought out Minak Hendra was when she was learning to climb a tree and fell down; she quickly retreated to her surrogate mother for reassurance before returning to the tree to give it another go.
Iqo eating tubers in Forest School.
Iqo is growing more self-sufficient and now enjoys climbing tall trees. She eats all the fruits given to her, including watermelon, corn, bananas, melons, and tubers, and also consumes leaves and bark. According to our surrogate mothers, she is not a picky eater and still likes to drink milk from a baby bottle.
Way to go, little Iqo! We can’t wait to see you growing into a true wild orangutan.
