Rocky has moved to Monkey Island, the newest island at the West Kalimantan rescue centre. He still comes back to the cages at night, as he is not yet comfortable enough to spend the night in the forest on his own. He is getting very big, having grown quickly in the last six months, which may be due to him being one of the best foragers on Monkey Island!
Rocky really favours wild fruit he finds himself in the forest, and it is very encouraging to see how well he is adapting to this aspect of life in the forest.
One aspect in which Rocky is doing less well is nest building. Encouraging the orangutans to build nests is a priority at the centre, as it is a key aspect of wild orangutan behavior. However, Rocky prefers to just wait until his friends have built their nests and then climbs in with them. It’s very funny to see Rocky climbing over the other orangutans and this behavior is keeping with Rocky’s very mischievous nature. The other orangutans may sometimes not be too happy about this but hopefully Rocky will begin to construct his own nests soon! Rocky has also become notorious for trying to get into any bag he sees, so the baby keepers are always on high alert whenever Rocky is around.
Rickina is one of the smartest orangutans at the centre, and has really progressed in the last few months, after getting over the fever that plagued her last year and saw her lose considerable weight. She is one of the best climbers out of the young orangutans at the centre, and she is rarely seen on the ground, preferring to stay at least 5 or 6 metres up in the canopy. As getting orangutans to stay in the trees can be quite a challenge, this is remarkable and, hopefully a good sign that Rickina can be rehabilitated and eventually released. She is also a deft nest builder, and will often make nests in the afternoon so she can have a rest.
Rickina used to be very picky with food but is getting much better. She will now eat most fruits and vegetables, but she still chews very slowly and it takes her a long time to eat. She is still very close friends with Merry, and whenever they feel scared, the two will hug. The two play, eat and travel together, but Rickina is definitely the more dominant of the two, always leading, with Merry following behind.
