NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES

Our dedicated team of excellent veterinarians is essential in our efforts to save orangutans from extinction. They are available 24/7, from when an orphaned or displaced orangutan arrives at one of our centres until they are released back into the wild or live out their lives in sanctuary care.

It was on Valentine’s Day 2015 when a six-month-old orangutan arrived at our Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre. The little male was extremely malnourished with wounds all over his body. Veterinarian Dr Arga Sawung Kusuma immediately comforted, assessed and treated the new arrival, who was later named Valentino. Arga stayed close to Valentino throughout his rehabilitation journey. The two developed a special bond, and when Valentino was ready to move to a pre-release island in 2021, Arga accompanied him and opened his transport box on the island – a truly unique moment for both.

Valentino’s and Arga’s relationship shows how vital our veterinarians are for the wellbeing of our orangutans, as most of them arrive in poor health, with some even suffering from severe diseases or disorders that require special treatment.

To provide the necessary care for each orangutan and sun bear in our care, our vet team follows a daily routine schedule. One veterinarian regularly visits the Forest School areas, the Special Care Unit, and – in Samboja Lestari – the Sun Bear Sanctuary. At the same time, another colleague attends to the individual enclosures and socialisation complexes.

During their visits, the veterinarians conduct individual examinations to look for signs of orangutans falling ill, harbouring injuries or requiring treatment for other ailments.

Assisted by clinical technicians, they also provide vitamins, medications and nebuliser treatments for orangutans suffering from Orangutan Respiratory Disease Syndrome, a distressing condition that can be fatal.

After each visit, our medical team examines faecal samples from orangutans and sun bears. The monthly examinations provide essential information about the health of each animal and can help detect various illnesses, such as worm infections.

In addition to their daily activities, the veterinarians prepare orangutans for release, including a final health check and disease tests. They also perform one-off surgical procedures when medical intervention is needed. Some surgeries are particularly challenging for our doctors, and they don’t take the decision to execute them lightly. For example, when they had to remove Jeje’s damaged left eyeball with the help of an ophthalmic specialist or amputate both of Kopral’s arms.

After climbing an electricity pole while fleeing his captors, Kopral was severely electrocuted with burns to most of his body and left for dead for an entire week – it truly was a miracle that he survived. Despite being unable to return to the wild, he successfully attended Forest School and was chosen to live a semi-wild life on one of our sanctuary islands. There, he thrived until recently, when fate sadly struck again (see below).

One thing is certain: Taking care of currently 355 orangutans and 74 sun bears is a massive responsibility, and our veterinarians are true heroes in the fight to save orangutans from extinction and reach our ultimate goal – freedom for each and every eligible orangutan in our centres.

Photos: ©BPI/©BOSF

KOPRAL URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

Since April last year, Kopral lived happily on a sanctuary island until he was suddenly found lethargic on the feeding platform. He had developed extreme tiredness attributed to anemia – a disease that often occurs in orangutans living in captivity and is caused by a lack of nutrients. Iron, B12 and other vitamins and minerals fortunately helped quickly.
But one misfortune followed another. Kopral injured his right foot – which is particularly tragic for someone with no arms who depends on his feet. In addition, he caught a fungus between his toes. To ease the pain, poor Kopral avoided walking on the balls of his feet, and as a result, his ankle became stiff due to his protective posture and lack of movement.
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 an orthopedic expert to discuss the possible causes of his ankle’s poor condition. According to their analysis, without intervention, he could develop contracture or stiff muscles in his leg. This would be noticeable by a significant lack of mobility in muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments.
Our veterinarians want to do everything possible to help Kopral, but they urgently need your support to continue his treatment. Without healthy feet, our poor Kopral is helpless and may never be able to return to the self-determined island life he enjoyed so much.

Please donate now!