Picture this: Kobe the orangutan standing in the forest, wielding a branch like a staff, every bit the guardian of the forest that she is. Kobe lives life intensely and appreciates every moment. The forest canopy is a sprawling metropolis to her, and it’s not uncommon to only see her as a rouge blur pinballing around the trees. If she isn’t completely absorbed inspecting something, her gaze is always skyward. She cuts an impressive figure swinging around the forest, in command of her body. An orangutan’s arms are one and half times longer than their legs, and Kobe pushes herself to reach further and further all the time.

To put it simply, Kobe is crazy active, no matter if it’s in the forest or on the boardwalk. The other day she “deconstructed” part of the boardwalk, pulling off planks of wood, as part of her daily activity when out in the Learning Forest, which the staff then had to rehammer back. We know who to call when we need a construction volunteer!

Kobe is never one to sit idly, even when it’s a torrential downpour! Forest School ended abruptly recently when it began to rain, and Kobe’s caregivers took her back to camp but were unable to take her to her sleeping enclosure due to the heavy rain. So, they kept Kobe undercover in the staff area where she made her mark. Her curiosity knew no bounds as she “helpfully” took the washing off the line, modelled the staff shirts, and then rolled back and forth around on a rattan mat, before wrapping herself up in it, looking super chic we may add. When Kobe tired of playing dress up, she demolished a huge amount of cucumbers – all in a day’s work!

Despite all these hijinks, the forest is her place and she knows it. Normally, orangutans spend roughly 90% of their lives in the forest canopy. For now, her caregivers know best, acting as her anchor and keeping her grounded, but the day will come when Kobe can be permanently set loose in the wild and the sky will be her limit. As ever, thank you to you, her foster parents for your love, generosity, and support. We are so very grateful.

Click here to download Kobe’s August 2026 Foster Update