Amelia, our mischievous yet charming orangutan, continues to surprise and delight us. While she still has her moments of mischief, she has become much calmer, gentler, and generally better behaved. That said, if something catches her eye, she can still be a bit grabby, especially when there is a treat involved.

All of her caregivers have experience of Amelia’s selective hearing. Unless there’s a tasty incentive, she often ignores her carer, preferring to focus on whatever has piqued her interest. One of her favourite pastimes is hanging from the playground beam, arm wrapped around it, with a rattan enrichment ball. She stretches the threads apart to find hidden treasures like the peanuts inside. She is healthy and doesn’t have a favourite fruit as they are all her favourites.

Amelia is acutely aware of her surroundings and chooses her interactions carefully, often sitting away from the group. There’s no telling Amelia what to do – she’s an independent spirit. She doesn’t seek the spotlight, preferring to be a wallflower, or in her case, a forest flower.

Venturing into the forest, Amelia explores cautiously, finding comfort in familiar spots under the cover of trees. While orangutans can brachiate – swing hand over hand – they usually move cautiously through large trees by climbing and walking, distributing their weight among and on branches. Amelia embodies this cautious grace, making her way through the forest with ease. She moves slowly but always seems comfortable in trees.

Amelia is still housed with her enclosure friends named Holland, Clara, Panahan, and Doris. Amelia is more introverted than her enclosure friends, and she uses her time in forest school to explore her surroundings away from her pals. She is gregarious with her friends but in the forest, she is more of a loner. Perhaps we can say that she already has an “orangutan heart”: semi-solitary but social.

Amelia continues to thrive, blending her headstrong personality with a newfound sense of calm and curiosity. Her journey of growth and exploration is a joy to witness, and we can’t wait to see what she’ll discover next!

Click here to download Amelia’s August 2024 Foster Update