Little Ryan has certainly grown in the last few months into a sweet and boisterous orangutan! Playful and energetic, Ryan can be rough and tumble as he plays with the other orangutans or in the trees of the OFI nursery forest. Easily identifiable in the forest due to his dark orange hair that glows purple in the sun, it is not hard to locate Ryan when he is playing high up in the trees. Ryan has recently become a little bit of a wanderer. Gaining in confidence and not feeling afraid in the forest any more, Ryan can often cover large distances for an infant orangutan. One of his caregivers will track his movements from below and then when Ryan has moved too far away will coax him down from the trees with a special fruit treat. Ryan’s caregivers are often surprised by how far Ryan as an infant on his own can roam these days. Ryan is certainly beginning to want to explore further and is developing an adventurous spirit.
On his return to the infant playground Ryan will join with his friends in a game on the forest floor or in the trees near the playground. Often Ryan will start his day “hanging around” (literally) the baby playground or the surrounding trees, sticking close to his caregivers. Then he will take off and explore the adjacent forest. Rangda and Jambul are two of his favorite play friends. Even though these orangutans are older and bigger, Ryan will play boisterously with them. Wanting to keep up with the older, cooler orangutans Ryan can often be seen following behind the two older orangutans. Almost like a younger brother, Ryan wants to know where they are going and what they are doing. Rangda and Jambul don’t mind and enjoy playing with little Ryan. Ryan’s sweet face shows his happy disposition and with his spirit for adventure growing, Ryan is going to be finding out more and more about the forest.
It is important for Ryan to learn as much as he can about the forest. The skills he attains in his explorations will go a long way once the day comes when he is ultimately released back into the wild. But that day is far off for infant Ryan and we encourage him to continue playing and exploring, as he does, in the nursery forest.