Amelia … alert and aloof.

Amelia continues to keep us alert. She is usually consistent in her behaviour but still occasionally remains unpredictable. She is super active both inside and outside her sleeping enclosure, displaying bucket loads of attitude and spunk. Amelia’s lush orange hair shines brightly in the afternoon sun. She is now one of the older orangutans at Camp Danielle and as such, has no time for childish play with the younger infants. Amelia is a lady. Unlike some of her peers she endeavours to keep herself tidy and neat. She remains high up in the rafters of the playground to ensure this. No rolling around in the mud for her! Amelia sits atop the playground, treating it as her watchtower. She is its keeper. Staff provide her with enrichment such as rattan balls filled with treats, but Amelia takes one look and gives them back to the staff. She only has eyes for the playground and spends hours swinging happily from rope to rope.  She is the only orphan who consistently refuses rattan ball enrichment! Too much work to tear through the rattan! Too messy as the treats drop out!

All this swinging on the ropes can be hungry work. To paraphrase an old saying, an orangutan marches/climbs on her stomach. To ensure Amelia and the other infants get all the nutrients they need, nursery caregivers provide milk several times per day. In the forest it’s necessary to bring the milk in bottles which the caregivers usually hold for the infants while they drink. Here Amelia proves how much she has learned. When she sees the milk bottles appear, Amelia rushes over and takes a bottle from her caregiver’s hands. She removes the cap and pierces the silver film with her fingers and then slurps the milk down in one go. She leaves the empty bottle to her caregivers and moves on, munching on a bunch of bananas. It’s all fuel for the fire which burns brightly in Amelia. Aloof, wise, and sensitive, Amelia is a vibrant personality and one not to be taken for granted.

Click here to download Amelia’s August 2021 Foster Update