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Home > Foster Updates > August 2019 – Buddy

It is hard to believe it has already been over a year since Buddy arrived at the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine. He has practically doubled in size, now weighing approximately 30kg.

With Buddy it is always one small step between the sublime and the ridiculous. His tongue will loll lazily from his mouth after a long bout of exercise. Like an orangutan, he will reach his paw out and rub it onto something (or someone) and bring it back to his nose so he can taste the scent. He will present his back for a scratch or at other times he will goofily fall about his enclosure with branches hanging from his mouth as he plays with them.

He enjoys regular trips to the forest and playing with an assortment of fellow sun bear friends. He isn’t picky. First there were bear cubs Shannon and Bubu to play with before they were released to the wild. Initially Buddy was housed by himself but now he has three roommates; female cubs Fitri and Cora as well as male cub Sunny, who can definitely be called his best friend. We weren’t sure about pairing Buddy up with another male, especially one with claws, but the instant they met they were inseparable. During their first session together they both immediately stood up on their hind legs, arms outstretched like two boxers at a prize fight, before embracing and wrestling around their enclosure. This gave Buddy’s caregivers a sigh of relief as Buddy focuses more on playing with Sunny than trying to engage with them now.

Buddy is so full of exuberant energy he never feels the need to stop. He lacks a little focus, becoming easily distracted, but he loves engaging in the forest. One moment a log will be lying on the ground with Buddy completely ignoring it, then the next moment he will have completely demolished it with his teeth. He particularly enjoys soft well-rotted logs.

Bears are highly adaptable as Buddy has proven time and again, taking everything and anything in his stride. Buddy demonstrated his perspicacity with problem solving when he opened up a coconut, but it doesn’t stop there. One of his new favourite fruits is passion fruit and there is an abundance of passion fruit trees around the forest. These fruits require some work to open, another problem for Buddy to solve. Bears usually use their claws to open and scoop out the insides of this refreshing fruit but Buddy was declawed when he was in captivity as a pet. Buddy presses his clawless paws down hard on the fruit until it splits apart. He then picks it up between his paws and brings it to his mouth to enjoy. It couldn’t be simpler.

Buddy doesn’t dwell on the past. He lives in the moment and is full of life. The march towards providing him with a new forest sanctuary enclosure continues. Funds are in the process of being raised and a site has been tentatively selected to build on. We can’t wait for Buddy and his friends to move in.

Click here to download Buddy’s August 2019 Foster Update