Koling has a joy of life with a mind that demands to be kept active. He barely sits still and could be nicknamed “Discovery Kid”. Unless Koling is happily napping in his private quarters (only five-star treatment for our babies!), he is usually busy tussling with one of his friends. He has so many these days, being such an outgoing orangutan. He isn’t intimidated by the larger orangutans but wants to be part of the action. He is friends with Giselle, Elvis, Roderick and Crystal, but currently his best friend is Sugar. Koling enjoys following Sugar around and they are practically inseparable. Their favourite pastime is wrestling, including but not limited to, rolling around on the ground and gently biting one another. That doesn’t mean Koling isn’t self-reliant, however. He continues to grow and so has his confidence, meaning he will tackle the Camp Danielle playground solo. Koling excels at going up and down the nets, along the wooden tyre bridge, and generally hanging out. Even when he isn’t joining his orangutan peers in play, Koling joins in from the side lines by watching from inside a blue barrel or from one of the playground’s wooden beams.
Koling doesn’t climb too high in the playground or in the trees nearby. Accompanied by one of his caregivers, he will climb into a small tree and hang from the trunk. Koling is a little wobbly and unsteady in the trees but is learning to distribute his weight and work his way around. He looks a little lost by himself, his dark reflective eyes display his vulnerability. Koling sticks close to his caregivers, but he is always craning his head up to see what is around or just out of sight.
Koling keeps himself occupied by tasting all the different leaves, fruits, or twigs that the forest provides such as root fruit and young stems. He will often be seen with something sticking out of his mouth. There isn’t much food Koling doesn’t like, and he will dive head first into a pile of fruit if given the chance. If one of the caregivers isn’t paying attention, Koling may turn his attention to their boot for a bite or two.
Koling cries when left alone or his caregiver, Ibu Sopi, is out of sight. He won’t stop until he can see her again. Otherwise, he has Giselle in his sleeping enclosure to keep him company by play wrestling; what else would it be? Koling’s journey is still beginning and we can’t wait to see what he gets up to next.
Click here to download Koling’s August 2023 Foster Update