Jeffrey Jr looks very distinguished these days, sporting a beard and a mature attitude. He has outgrown most of his peers and even his caregivers. Jeffrey Jr is now one of the biggest and most dominant orangutans at Camp Danielle. He is certainly the “king” of his sleeping enclosure, which he shares with Rimba Raya, Somat, Levi and Ucok. He is a lover, not a fighter, but when his playmates insist, Jeffrey Jr doesn’t like to let them down. They play punch, roll, and hang off each other in all-out wrestling matches, where Jeffrey Jr always comes out on top. But he still has a soft side as is clear in his interactions with his roommates. No one is hurt in the rough grab and tumble play.

Jeffrey’s relationship with his caregivers is beginning to change but not yet by much. Jeffrey Jr doesn’t like going on his caregiver’s backs anymore. He likes to hug them from the front which makes it harder to carry him. He is not all that grown up yet, still requiring some encouragement and emotional nourishment from his caregivers.

Jeffrey Jr spends his Forest School time productively, usually looking for forest fruits, young leaves, edible grass, and ant nests. Even on the ground, he walks quickly around the forest and even checks out some of the nearby orangutan camps.

Watching him in the forest, you see his four long fingers (thumbs don’t hook) efficiently hook around the branches as he suspends himself majestically from the trees. Jeffrey Jr is in total control of his body as he brachiates from tree to tree full of grace, performing steps and movements he has finessed over many years. He is almost ready to graduate to the next camp and level up his forest time and skills and broaden his choreography. For instance, he has begun to make a nest of leaves and twigs but on the ground. We can’t wait to see him transfer these nest making skills into the trees. We know that he will work it out soon enough. We are very excited for what this year holds for Jeffrey Jr and can’t wait to share what’s next!

Click here to download Jeffrey Jr’s February 2025 Foster Update