BONDAN

Since the implementation of a new diet at the Sintang Orangutan Center, the orangutans now enjoy a greater variety of foods, carefully designed to ensure each individual receives the right portions and nutrients. The animal keepers closely monitor each orangutan, ensuring they get their food without competition with others and are able to finish their meals properly.

This new diet plan, which includes a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, presented a unique challenge for Bondan. Although she is known for her hearty appetite, Bondan initially seemed hesitant when offered new fruits. The first time she was presented with a snake fruit, Bondan refused to taste it, even though the keeper had peeled back the hard skin for her. With a puzzled expression, she threw the fruit to the floor, occasionally glancing at the keeper as if to ask, “Is this really edible?” However, after several attempts and observing other orangutans, Bondan eventually started tasting the snake fruit, though she has yet to finish it completely.

A similar experience occurred when Bondan was introduced to green beans. Initially uninterested, Bondan gradually became accustomed to their smell and taste until she eagerly devoured them. This process highlights how orangutans like Bondan need time to recognize new foods and ensure they are safe—a crucial skill for identifying natural foods when they eventually return to their wild habitat in the forest.

In the forest school, this dietary change is also implemented with a 50% reduction in portion sizes. This encourages Bondan and her peers to be more active in foraging for food on their own. Interestingly, Bondan, known for her exploration skills, adapted quickly to this adjustment. From morning until noon, she roams through the forest, finding her own sources of food, such as young leaves, wild fruits, and some familiar plants. Calmly and skillfully, she picks leaves and fruits, displaying her growing independence.

In the afternoons, Bondan is often seen gathering around the tunnel area of the enclosure with Joss. They play, run around, and wrestle on the forest floor, making the most of their time together before the evening meal arrives. When the animal keeper approaches with food, Bondan quickly comes from the entrance of the forest school, patiently waiting until she can enjoy her meal. After finishing, she resumes a brief exploration, sometimes foraging for snacks from leaves and small branches nearby, before finally selecting a comfortable tree to rest in for the night.

Bondan’s adaptation to this diet and exploration reflects her growing ability to live independently, a valuable skill as she prepares for a future return to the wild. With her independence steadily increasing, Bondan is showing that she is drawing closer to the goal of rehabilitation, ready to experience the true freedom of life in the forest.