Tommy uses his time wisely in the OFI Learning Forest. He gathers twigs and sticks and inspects them for any sign of life. Tommy’s caregivers offer him a hand in finding branches but for the most part he finds them all by himself. By now he knows what he is doing. Sometimes he can be found with a pile of branches of various sizes piled in front of him on the Boardwalk situated deep in the Learning Forest. He takes several branches in his hands biting into them with his powerful teeth, all while wrapping his feet protectively around the others. Any branch that displeases him is casually tossed away but when he strikes gold, he has a field day and greedily sucks termites from within. These termites provide an important source of protein and energy. Tommy is sure to need this as he ventures further into the forest. Like an orangutan Pied Piper, the whooshing and sucking noises attract his caregivers and his orangutan peers. Valentino is never far from his best friend Tommy and today is no exception. Tommy is more than happy to share his spoils with Valentino.

Tommy’s youthful energy urges him to continue moving and exploring. His body spreads out wide as he soars through the trees. His hand shoots to his mouth as if he is pondering his next move while he closes in on his next port of call. Dead branches and termites are not the only things that interest Tommy today. As he climbs through the undergrowth, he comes across stalks of bamboo and this provides him with plenty to chew over. Tommy ensconces himself in a cluster of bamboo and his caregivers can only watch on and hope he doesn’t cut himself on any splinters. Tommy has no such worries and nonchalantly continues his peregrinations. His easy-going nature is perfectly exemplified as he looks directly down the lens of a camera one of his caregivers is holding. He considers it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and moving on. The call of the wild is what interests him and every day is a step closer to the day when he is free to roam as far as he pleases.

Click here to download Tommy’s February 2021 Foster Update