Jeffrey Jr continues to grow more and more independent and self-assured. He shares his sleeping enclosure with Rimba Raya, Somat and Levy. Levy is a relatively new roommate, but they all get along, despite Jeffrey Jr trying his luck on occasion! Jeffrey Jr has a voracious appetite, so much that his caregivers have to give him a little extra food each time. Sometimes not even this is enough, and he attempts to grab some of his enclosure mates’ food. Caregivers try to ensure that all the orangutans get their fair share of food. Orangutans in the wild can forage seven to eight hours a day, and we are certain Jeffrey Jr will be very adept at searching for food in the wild. He certainly has the energy and enthusiasm when it comes to food. After all, he’s a growing boy!
Jeffrey Jr commutes between the forest and playground, but the commutes grow longer as he ventures deeper into the forest. He marches with purpose along the pathways in and out of the areas. Jeffrey Jr only seems to return to the playground to check in and make sure that he isn’t missing out on anything. He may not climb too high into the trees, only around 10 metres, but he is a strong climber and can cover some great distances. His climbing technique may look chaotic to us as he swings back and forth, his arms and legs akimbo, but Jeffrey Jr knows what he is doing.
In the forest Jeffrey Jr occupies himself foraging for fruit and water. He feasts on the roots of orchid-like plants, medicinal fruit, and young stems. He is becoming quite the food connoisseur, but Jeffrey Jr is no snob. He will try anything once and commit it to memory. Wild orangutans have an impressive dietary memory bank as they eat more than 400 different types of food. As long as Jeffrey Jr keeps this up, he will be an expert in no time.
Jeffrey Jr takes advantage of the opportunities given to him, and we wouldn’t be able to do that without his wonderful foster parent’s donations. Thank you, and we can’t wait to update you next time on what Jeffrey Jr has learned.
Click here to download Jeffrey Junior’s February 2023 Foster Update
