It is hard to believe that Dewa was once a sickly, stick-skinny orangutan with very little hair. Two and a half years since his depression lifted and his subsequent recovery delighted everyone, Dewa has maintained his incredible transformation. He is as bright and energetic as ever before. Dewa continues to impress his caregivers with his steady progress!
Dewa is a power-house of energy. He continues to spend the majority of his time with his best friend and enclosure-mate, Ari. In their sleeping enclosure, the two stayed locked in a non-stop wrestling match that is only interrupted by the prospect of food. When a staff member or volunteer comes by with snacks, they both run up to the front of their enclosure and climb on top of each other to get to the snack first. Their “sibling rivalry” never progresses into anything serious, which for two growing males, is a testament to their strong friendship! Luckily for Ari and Dewa, the prospect of snacks comes frequently. They’ve got the best real-estate on the block as their sleeping enclosure is situated directly next to a rambutan tree. When the tree is fruiting, the tasty red rambutan fruits will fall all around the perimeter of their enclosure and Dewa and Ari always get first dibs!
Dewa’s boisterous nature carries on when he is on release. In the OFI enrichment forest, he often instigates wrestling matches with the other males to prove that he is the “alpha”. This behavior is typical of young male orangutans, as they test out their strength to better learn their place in the hierarchy. Dewa plays rough with his fellow orangutans but he continues to be gentle with his caregivers. He eagerly accepts back scratches and head massages from some of his closest human friends.
Dewa has proven himself to be adventurous, friendly, and full of life. He has made incredible progress in his rehabilitation. When the time eventually comes for him to be released to the wild, we have no doubt Dewa will flourish!