MAMAT

That evening, as usual, Mamat eagerly awaited feeding time. But something was different. From inside his cage, Mamat’s distinctive vocalizations could be heard—but this time, they were more intense than usual. Strangely, he wasn’t standing near the front of the cage as he usually did. Instead, he stayed further back, looking uneasy.

Curious, the animal keepers approached Mamat’s cage to find out what was going on. As they reached the front, a small surprise awaited them. A tiny, seemingly harmless snake was coiled near Mamat’s cage door. It turned out that the snake’s presence had sent Mamat into a panic.

Wasting no time, the keepers carefully handled the situation. They safely caught the snake and removed it from the enclosure area. The snake was then released into the forest near the Sintang Quarantine Center, far from Mamat and the other orangutans.

Once the snake was gone, Mamat slowly moved toward the front of his cage. However, his earlier fear still lingered. Normally, Mamat would enjoy his meal near the front of the cage, interacting with the keepers. But this time, things were different. He chose to carry his food to the back of the cage, far from the door, where he ate in solitude. It seemed the memory of the tiny snake was still haunting him.

By the next morning, though, Mamat was back to his usual laid-back self. When breakfast arrived, he was already standing at the front of the cage, as if to say, “All is well.” He devoured his breakfast heartily, showing no sign of the previous day’s incident.

This event revealed another side of Mamat—while he is typically calm and unhurried, unexpected moments like this can bring out his colorful emotions. And as always, Mamat returned to his routine with the kind of composure that only a smart and endearing orangutan like him could possess.