Sam and Cupcake had been progressing well with their jungle school outings. They were followed and supported by two trainers every day. Trainers encouraged Sam and Cupcake to explore the area, provided supplement food when needed, and introduced forest food items that they had not tried.
As Sam was once kept in a zoo, it will take considerable time for her to adapt to forest life and her adaptation needs to be monitored very closely. Her foraging time needs to greatly increase however she has learned to feed on new food items and is able to build high quality nests which is excellent. Sam and Cupcake also stayed high in the canopy when on their forest outings, which is also very positive. Cupcake greatly benefited from his time in the jungle. His confidence increased dramatically and he was keen to explore his surroundings and move up to 8m away from Sam. Cupcake is also quite social with the other orangutans in the area and they have responded well to his approaches.
Unfortunately, Sam became unwell in March and had a loss of appetite and loose faeces. There was also heavy rain so the trainers took Sam and Cupcake back to the pre-release enclosure for rest and treatment. Luckily, Cupcake remained in fine health. Sam received antibiotics and extra fluids and she has responded well to treatment. They will be kept in the pre-release enclosure until Sam has regained her full health and energy. Orangutans do often need some extra support and veterinary care during their preparation for release, as the process can be physically demanding on their bodies.
