Dora is nearly seven years of age and she has grown quite a bit in the last six months. Dora’s forest skills continue to develop and she is very skilled at finding fruits during jungle school. Dora will play with other orangutans during jungle school however she can be a bit shy and subordinate.
More challenges are now being given to Dora because her forest skills have improved significantly. She has even been spending the night in the forest more frequently. Dora is often taken to jungle school with little Suna and she has become a great teacher to Suna. Once they are placed in a tree to climb, Dora will quickly climb away to explore the forest and search for fruits. She is even finding fruits that her trainers have not seen. As the sunlight fades, Dora and Suna will often stay high up in the canopy, indicating to the trainers that they want to spend the night in the jungle. Even though Dora makes a nest to sleep in for her afternoon nap, at night time she tends to sleep in the fork of a tree and holds tightly onto the branch or trunk. Hopefully she will start to make a night nest soon so she has a more comfortable sleep. It is dark at 7 pm in the Sumatran rainforest but the trainers don’t leave the forest until Dora and Suna have not moved for quite some time so they can be sure they are sleeping.
If Dora and Suna sleep in the jungle, then their trainers will arrive at their nesting area before dawn. Dora is not an early bird, with Suna and other orangutans usually up and foraging before her. However, being so good at foraging, Dora soon catches up in the breakfast department once she gets moving. Ficus and other small fruits are the main diet component for Dora and the other young orangutans at this time of year. If Dora spends a night in the forest, she tends to be keen to go back to the cage with her trainer later the following day. She will immediately make a comfortable nest and sleep for a long time! Staying overnight in the jungle is obviously quite exhausting for Dora but it is very positive that she often chooses to sleep in the canopy.
With the progress that Dora has made, her journey to freedom is becoming even closer. For now she will continue with extensive jungle school outings and can also share her forest skills with other young orangutans.
