Carmen’s yoga-like exercises in the OFI Learning Forest have continued all through 2020 and into 2021. A new year calls for resolutions and OFI’s commitment to Carmen and her orangutan orphan friends remains as resolute as ever. Carmen loves it when the Enrichment team pay a visit to her sleeping enclosure. She pushes her way to the front in order to get first pick. Cooling frozen fruit or an enrichment parcel are gratefully received. While Carmen enjoys being in the centre of her seemingly manic peers inside the sleeping enclosure, when out in the forest Carmen relishes her “me time” alone.

Carmen has had a recent growth spurt which means she can travel further and faster into the canopy. Carmen loves engaging in the world up there, always mindful and living in the moment. The sun shining bright behind her casts a stunning luminous Carmen shaped silhouette at the treetops. Like a Yogi leading a class she strikes a tree pose (her own version) and stretches her arms and legs wide. Her arms, abs and attitude always get a serious workout in the forest!

Occasionally Carmen will mix things up by coming closer to Earth and actively engaging with the Pondok Dua playground area. Carmen picks an area of the playground where she has plenty of space to enjoy herself. As soon as her caregivers begin to take something from their pockets, Carmen forgets about introspection and bounds over to them to see if she can get a snack. She hangs gracefully from the playground ropes and reaches out her arms expectantly. Sometimes her caregivers hold the snack just out of reach, but Carmen doesn’t like to be teased for too long. Carmen is all business when it comes to snacks. She swings herself closer and her caregivers acquiesce to her demands. Once she receives the snack, Carmen doesn’t stick around. Just like that, Carmen is off again on her travels with plenty of growing, learning, and workouts yet to come.

Click here to download Carmen’s February 2021 Foster Update