Asto and Asih continue to enjoy regular Jungle School outings at our SRA rehabilitation centre in North Sumatra.
Asih with Dinda (left) and Asto with Rian (right)
Jungle School tends to be mostly held in the mornings and evenings since the afternoons can be very hot. Asto and Asih have been improving all their forest skills including climbing, finding natural foods, and building nests. Asto is quite skilled in making nests. She builds her nests about 10 metres high in the canopy, and they are strong and dense. Meanwhile, Asih has made some nests on the ground and still needs more practice. You’ll get there Asih!
The orangutan keepers record the behaviour and activities of Asto and Asih while they are out at Jungle School. The girls spend much of their time traveling, often between 2-5m high in the trees. Sometimes they will climb to above 10m in the canopy. They spend 21-26% of their Jungle School time feeding. They eat many natural foods in the forest including unripe and ripe fruits, young leaves, young shoots, tree bark, and flowers. They were also observed eating termites, ants, and crickets. Sometimes Asto and Asih drank water from the small ditch surrounding the playground island.
Asto and Asih tend to be more vocal at Jungle School. They make ‘kiss squeaks’ when they feel threatened or want to repel something. Sometimes they shake tree branches and throw twigs too.
The staff at our SRA centre record body measurements for Asto and Asih every month to record their physical development. The data collected includes body weight, head circumference, body length, arm length, shoulder width, hand length, leg length, distance between eyes and the number of teeth. Asto is now 18.2 kgs and has started to grow her second molar teeth. Asih is 15.4 kgs and only her first molar teeth.
Asto and Asih receive lots of food, nesting, and olfactory enrichment when they are in their enclosure. These include fruit balls, coconuts, fruit popsicles, fruit inside bamboo, cardboard boxes, banana stems with sunflower seeds, peanut butter smeared on leaves, and sacks. Delicious and aromatic whole fruits are also given such as durian and cempedak which is a local fruit, similar to jackfruit.
Both orangutans are always enthusiastic and curious to complete the enrichment and eat the food inside it. Generally, Asih finishes the enrichment faster than Asto. Thanks so much to our adopters for helping these gorgeous little girls find their way back to forest freedom.
