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We are animals lovers here at Your Tea and our aim is to help as many creatures, great and small, as possible.
This month, we became proud parents of ‘Peanut’, via donating to the Orangutan Appeal, UK.
They state:
“The Orangutan Appeal UK is a registered charity based in the south of England, dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of orangutans and the conservation of their habitat.
The Appeal strives to protect remaining wild populations of orangutans by providing support and funding for projects across Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo; and by raising awareness of the plight of this great ape across the globe”.
And just how did we become instantaneous parents to an adorable orangutang? Here’s how…
“In late July 2013, a young male orangutan was found by a local farmer near the Kinabatangan River, which runs through the state of Sabah, east Malaysia. He was alone and in need of help. The baby was thought to be less than a year old. At such a young age, orangutans are completely dependent on their mothers so without her there to guide and care for him he would not be able to survive. The farmer took the young orangutan to Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre where he knew the baby would be well cared for. On arrival at the Centre he was given the nickname of “Peanut” as he was very small and the shape of his head was similar to a nut. The vet decided that the name suited him so well that it would stay!
Peanut was given a thorough examination by the vet and apart from having a slight eye injury; he was declared a healthy orangutan weighing just 3.15kg. His initial weeks at Sepilok were spent in the Centre’s quarantine ward to ensure he was free from any serious diseases such as hepatitis B, which could be of risk to his health and other orangutans at the Centre, before beginning his rehabilitation. It takes many years for an orphaned orangutan to be taught to live in the rainforest and during the rehabilitation process they must become proficient in all the skills they need to survive in the wild, including nest building, foraging and most importantly, climbing.
Peanut’s first six months were unsettled as he was very timid and unsure of his new surroundings. Being orphaned at such a young age was extremely traumatic for Peanut and he missed the most important time of his life with his mother who would have taught him everything. This made it difficult for him to start his rehabilitation as he was so nervous and lacked the basic skills. He would cry when placed on the climbing ropes as he was so frightened. Orangutans are arboreal, which means they will spend almost all of their time in the trees, so Peanut had to learn to climb as his future would be in the canopy of the forest.
Unfortunately for Peanut, after only just a few months at Sepilok, his rehabilitation was sadly interrupted when he contracted malaria. Much like in humans, the mosquito-borne disease can be fatal and for such a young and vulnerable orangutan as Peanut, he was particularly at risk. Thankfully, after several weeks of treatment and round-the-clock care and support from the dedicated nurses, Peanut started to recover and was ready to take to the ropes again.
With a new boost of energy following his recovering, Peanut became a lot more enthusiastic about his survival training and with fellow orphan Beryl on hand to help; he showed great signs of progress. Beryl, an older orangutan adopted Peanut as her “little brother” and the pair have been inseparable ever since”.
Here’s Peanut. Quite possible the cutest face we’ve seen;
Thanks you and with love,
Your Tea Charitea program
