‘Happi ... Happi ... come on down!’ It is very difficult to coax Happi down from the trees during forest school. Happi will happily stay high in the canopy until the evening. The orangutan keepers at COP Borneo need to use food and milk to encourage him to come back down and go to the orangutan enclosure for the night. Happi also has a habit of disappearing at forest school since he climbs up and travels so quickly in the canopy.
When it’s raining heavily and the orangutans need to stay in the enclosures, Happi’s favourite place is the hammock- probably because it’s the most like resting on a swaying tree branch. Happi will relax in the hammock and come down when the keepers call him to receive his milk and food. Happi will gather up his fruit and vegetables in his hands, feet and mouth, and climb back up to the hammock to enjoy his feast.
The staff at COP Borneo are impressed with Happi’s jungle skills. He is particularly skilled at climbing and testing branches to see if they will hold his weight. His keepers have never seen him fall. Happi is a good role model for other orangutans in forest school however he rarely makes nests in the canopy, so this is a skill he needs to improve on. It is hoped that Happi will be able to move to a pre-release training island soon where his skills can develop further.
Well done Happi, you are continuing to make great progress on your rehabilitation journey.
