With his big “puppy-dog” eyes Charlie has one of the most memorable orangutan faces at the Care Centre. But it is his personality that wins you over. To know Charlie is to love him. His perpetual wide-eyed expression exudes a childlike innocence that melts the heart of just about anyone he meets. But charming Charlie has a naughty side. When he sees a treat that he wants, he will pout and sulk until caregivers give in! He will also try to steal from their hands or pockets when they aren’t looking. If they happen to catch Charlie in the act, he is quick to feign
innocence. It’s hard not to believe that adorable face!

While Charlie can be quite sociable with his orangutan buddies, sometimes when Charlie is on his daily release in the OFI forest, he plays alone. Charlie can keep himself entertained for hours by digging in the dirt or feasting on ants. Other orangutans will approach him curiously but Charlie sometimes pays no heed. It is only when caregivers decide to walk somewhere else that Charlie will get up suddenly to follow. He then grabs their hand and pulls them in the direction they were already going, as if to suggest that moving locations was his idea all along! Once they arrive at another spot in the forest, Charlie releases their hand and starts to swing on the lower hanging vines just a few feet off the ground. He is still hesitant to climb high into the canopy. But slowly, Charlie is
beginning to build up his independence and confidence in the trees.

Rainy season provides Charlie with the perfect excuse to stay grounded. Charlie absolutely loves tramping around the waterlogged forest floor sticking his hands and feet into the big puddles he finds. He makes impressive puddle-nests by piling up sopping wet leaves on to a stack of soaked branches he has put together on wet ground. Like young children after a heavy rain, Charlie and his friends can always be found wildly playing in small pools of muddy water that appear at that time!

For charismatic Charlie, there is nothing better than a full day of play in the forest with all of his human and
orangutan friends.

Click here to download Charlie’s 2015 February Foster Update