JENI LEARNS SMELL AND TASTE DON’T ALWAYS CORRELATE
When many orangutans come down with flu at the same time, our surrogate mothers and veterinarians work together to make a traditional tonic – onion juice mixed with honey.
According to our vet, onions can help cure colds, coughs, high fevers, and sore throats, as well as boost immunity. Our surrogate mothers make the tonic by cutting or smashing up onions and soaking them in water for about 6-8 hours, before adding honey. They then give sick orangutans 3-4 teaspoons of the mixture three times a day, which they consume fresh. Our veterinary team, meanwhile, routinely gives the Nursery Group orangutans a boost of vitamin C.
Thanks to the loving care of her surrogate mothers, Jeni recovered from the flu in no time and is back in school.
A pungent smell and strong taste
One surrogate mother is always in charge of encouraging and holding the orangutans, while another feeds them the tonic. Of course, this is not an easy task because some orangutans make a fuss and protest loudly. This is understandable, as the onion juice has a pungent aroma and strong taste—even we humans are not that comfortable with drinking it!
This is also what happened to Jeni. At first, she resisted when a surrogate mother tried to hold her hand and feed her the tonic. She cried and tried to turn away, to fend off the spoon. But once she tasted a spoonful that managed to get into her mouth, she calmed down. It was then easier for the surrogate mother to feed her the remaining two spoonfuls of tonic.
Jeni loves dangling in the forest canopy with her best friend, Alexander.
Back to school in record time
After initially making such a fuss, it was amusing to see Jeni lick the drops of onion juice from her hands once she realised it was not all that bad. A few days later, Jeni and the other orangutans recovered and were able to resume practising their survival skills in Forest School.
Jeni got straight back to her usual activities —on the forest floor, eating termites and young shoots, and dangling in the forest canopy with her best friend, Alexander. Seeing Jeni and her friends back in good health and enjoying Forest School is fantastic!
