New home
DoraAn orangutan returns home
by Inga Sieg and Axel Warnstedt
Chapter 1New home
The truck is carrying very special cargo: a young orangutan. It is traveling from a quarantine station in northwestern Sumatra to Bukit Tigapuluh, which is to become Dora's home.
30 hills
The national park is one of Sumatra's largest remaining rainforests.
It has recently become home to orangutans again.
Dora
Jungle school
Chapter 2Jungle school
The jungle school is located in a clearing
on the edge of the national park.
Here, young apes are taught the skills
they need to survive in the jungle.
The team
The head teacher
Acclimatization
Orphans
Bad luck of the draw
In Indonesia and other Asian countries,
thousands of orangutans are at the mercy of humans.
Lessons
Chapter 3Lessons
Young orangutans normally stay with their mothers for eight years, learning everything they need to know. In the orangutan school, trainers take on the role of maternal teacher.
First day of school
It's time to leave the cage and head into the forest.
Piggyback style.
Dora doesn't like getting her feet wet.
The teacher
Nest building
Every night, in order to protect against
parasites and foes, such as snakes,
orangutans make a new nest to sleep in.
But Dora prefers hers to be ready-made.
In the trees
Washout
Classes are cancelled for the day.
Jungle kitchen
The animals need to learn to work for their fruit.
Menu
Mangos
Papayas
Durians
Figs
Lychees
Jackfruit
Nuts
Bark
Flowers and leaves
Honey
Termites and other insects
All about food
Time to play
Forest graduation
Reintroduction
Chapter 4Reintroduction
Back to freedom
looking for the ideal place to reintroduce her.
Farewell
Neighbors
the other animals in the forest.
Going it alone
Her new life has begun.
Vanishing forest
Chapter 5Vanishing forest
chainsaws are eating their way through the rainforest.
Tropical wood
Tropical wood is in demand.
Palm oil
It is produced from the fruit of oil palms.
Indonesia is the largest global producer.
Areas where rainforests once stood
have been turned into sprawling monocultures.
Peter and the woods
Life in the forest
Chapter 6Life in the forest
to more and more orangutans.
Dora hasn't been seen for a while now.
Where is Dora?
The search
Adolescence
She likely heard Peter a while before she appeared.
She's now eight years old and much bigger.
But she's still very trusting.
The vet
Under scrutiny
Baby fever
She regularly returns to the area around the station
to show off her son, Radja.
Concerns about Dora
Dora seems listless and has lost weight.
She's even finding it hard to climb.
A visit to the doctor
Problem children
Chapter 7Problem children
as smoothly as with Dora.
Alda
pregnant and doesn't know where to go.
Life in the wild is clearly not really her thing.
She hangs in a tree all day waiting to be fed.
Win Gayo
The 20 year-old male had to be caught, and now lives in a cage near the station.
Motley monkey crew
The apes in Bukit Tigapuluh come from everywhere.
Because each one has a unique past,
they are all at different stages of their development.
Still early days
it is still early days. So far, 170 animals have been reintroduced to the wild in Bukit Tigapuluh.
But it will take twice that number to create a sustainable population.
On the brink
Chapter 8On the brink
Half a century ago, there were four times as many.
Hope and fear
To be continued...
to have a baby. We'll be back to see how she's doing.