Budi has finished his quarantine time and has had his first introduction to another orangutan, Jemmi!
Jemmi was rescued by our team in October 2014 when he was just four months old. Now just over eight months old Jemmi is our youngest baby, but about the same size as Budi.
Because he is so young, Jemmi had been spending his days on his hammock and climbing frame in the clinic area where the vets could keep an eye on him. Although Budi is older at fifteen months, his development is behind due to the lack of nutrition prior to his rescue and his subsequent health problems. After weeks of physiotherapy, medical treatment and a nutritious diet, Budi’s muscles are developing well and he can climb and move about really well.
Neither Budi nor Jemmi has met another orangutan since being taken from their mothers at a very young age. Here, they meet for the first time:
Dr Ayu walked Budi from his day enclosure to Jemmi’s hammock. They were both intrigued by one other, though Budi looked a bit bemused by it all at the beginning and after a lot of staring at each another, Budi thought it would be fun to play in the soil and leaf debris on the floor! Jemmi was the first to make a move by reaching out to Budi, then Budi’s confidence suddenly blossomed and he kept grabbing Jemmi’s hair and playfully biting his hands and feet.
After thirty minutes both the baby orangutans were put into the day enclosure. Jemmi loved exploring his new surroundings, but after such an exhausting afternoon he needed a nap to recover to recharge himself, ready for the next day with his new playmate.