We’re thrilled to share that our beloved Mary has officially moved to a forested pre-release island—an exciting milestone in her rehabilitation journey!
Mary after first climbing into the lush canopy
After spending years in Jungle School at our BORA rescue and rehabilitation centre, Mary has reached the final stage of her preparation for life in the wild. On October 3, Mary and her close friend Jojo made the journey to join Bonti on the island. The trip involved being carefully placed in transport crates, followed by a two-hour car ride and a 30-minute boat trip to their new forest home.
As you can see in this video, Mary wasted no time, eagerly climbing up into the canopy as soon as her crate was opened.
Bonti, curious and excited, quickly joined her old friends. The monitoring team has been observing the trio closely as they explore the island, forage for fruits, and enjoy their newfound freedom. Mary and Bonti have been spending a lot of time together, happily rediscovering their bond in their new environment.
These forested islands offer the perfect setting for orangutans in the final stage of rehabilitation. With more freedom and independence, Mary now has the opportunity to build her physical strength and refine essential forest survival skills. One key skill she’s working on is nest-building. Being immersed in the forest 24/7 gives her plenty of opportunities to practice constructing strong, comfortable nests. Recently, she and Bonti have been making use of large orchid plants in the canopy for their nests.
While on the island, Mary and her friends receive supplemental food delivered via a pulley system to keep them safely in the trees, away from the ground.
A huge thank you to Mary’s wonderful adopters! Your support has helped her come so far on her path to freedom. We’ll continue to keep you updated on her progress as she gets closer to her ultimate goal—life in the wild.
