Now, instead of counting the years, we’re counting down the days until orphaned orangutan Okto will leave our forest camp for the very last time. Okto has had such an impact on our team that it will be a bittersweet moment for us when he is released from our soft-release programme into the wild.
When Okto was first rescued from a local town in October 2014, he was only a few years old but was an instant hit with our staff. He had grown up in a cage being kept as a pet and seemed to adore the trees when he was introduced to his new home at Camp Buluh in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. Here he could learn essential skills in a protected natural habitat, however the mischievous young orangutan seemed to have other ideas. Not interested in practicing nest-building or foraging in the forest at all, instead Okto preferred to cover himself in mud, crash around in the trees breaking branches, and tease his fellow campmates- first Shifa and then Pegi.
Over the years that followed, Okto continued to showcase his naughty behaviour at camp. Unlike any other orangutans we’ve cared for, Okto had a real affinity with water and liked nothing more than to splash around in the river, dunk his head into puddles, and even hop into a boat to take a ride with our staff. His playfulness at camp and bravery against wild orangutans in the forest would sometimes result in a visit from our vet to treat any scuffs and scrapes, but in the eyes of our team this all added to Okto’s unique personality.
His distinctive character isn’t the only thing that makes him the most notorious of the orangutans in our care. Not only has Okto been the face of the Foundation’s orangutan adoption programme for many years, but he also starred in the Sky and Offspring Film documentary: Monkeys – An Amazing Animal Family. Hosted by Orangutan Foundation patron Patrick Ayree, episode one of this series was released in 2016 and it was a certain young primate’s mischievous antics that really stole the show!
Today, having spent almost seven years within our soft-release programme, we’re thrilled to see that Okto has finally matured into the capable male orangutan we knew he could be. Although from time to time he will still swing around and break branches in the trees, he is now confident exploring the forest independently and able to build sturdy nests to sleep in overnight. With every trip into the forest it becomes more and more difficult to bring him back to camp, a positive sign that he is ready for the wild.
Though we will sincerely miss his energetic presence at camp, our team look forward to releasing this former ‘juvenile delinquent’ into the protected Lamandau Wildlife Reserve very soon. Initially we will continue to monitor his progress outside of camp but are confident he is fully prepared to explore the forest solo.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported Okto by adopting him on his journey to the wild, and are pleased to continue our adoption programme with the youngest male orangutan currently in our care- Adib.
