Jeffrey Jr is a happy and energetic little orangutan. From time to time he does suffer from the seizures that have been with him since his arrival. Thankfully they are very infrequent now, but if they do occur, the caregivers at Camp Danielle ensure he receives extra attention and TLC. During these times Jeffrey Jr loves a tight reassuring hug. The bond between orangutan mothers and their offspring can never be understated as they are that child’s whole world. The surrogate mothers at Camp Danielle try their best to emulate this. They soothe Jeffrey Jr and keep a close eye on him to ensure that he is safe and well looked after.
This also goes for his daily release to forest school. He sticks to familiar territory around the old playground taking it slowly to begin with, but after a few moments you wouldn’t know there had been anything the matter with him. He plays happily with his friends and swings around without a care. We say the “old playground” as due to recent generous donations, a second playground has been built near Camp Danielle for the infants to play on. Jeffrey Jr is always amongst those eager to play there.
During the construction process he even leant a helping hand. He would head over and pick up wood that had been set aside for the building and “helpfully” rearrange it. Orangutans are born with the ability to reason, think, and may be great engineers, but playground construction may be a little advanced for Jeffrey Jr at this stage. Engaging and playing on the new playground is much more fun in any case. The new playground is adorned with tyres and ropes and Jeffrey has many swings to choose from. Sometimes he ignores all this and is content to just dig a hole in the ground.
Surrounded by his watchful caregivers and his exuberant playmates, Jeffrey Jr continues to lead a joyful and healthy life. The one he deserves.
Click here to download Jeffrey Junior’s February 2020 Foster Update