TEMON AND LAHEI DISAPPEAR

Temon, a 3-year-old female orangutan, and Lahei, a 4-year-old male, are skilled and independent explorers from the large Forest School group at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre. Recently, they kept our surrogate mothers on their toes for ten consecutive days. Discover the full story of their nerve-wracking escapades.

Temon and Lahei tend not to socialise much with the other orangutans in their group; instead, they prefer to stay close to each other and spend a lot of time together, exploring the forest and foraging for natural foods. These intelligent, brave youngsters often become so engaged in their games and adventures that they build nests in the trees and sleep overnight in the forest. According to our surrogate mothers, when the two stay in Forest School, they usually return to their enclosure the following day. 

The duo disappeared
However, one day, Lahei hadn’t returned by the time Forest School ended in the afternoon, and the babysitters couldn’t find him in his usual nesting spot. In a panic, the surrogate mothers, assisted by our technicians, went in search of him. Two days following Lahei’s disappearance, Temon also went missing. The team conducted daily searches to locate this adventurous duo but could not find them.

A sudden movement in the trees
About ten days after Lahei first went missing, a surrogate mother was preparing to return to the complex with a large group in the evening. While getting ready, she noticed some branches moving in the trees. Initially, she thought it might be a young orangutan she had left behind, but everyone in the group had been accounted for except for Temon and Lahei. Upon closer inspection, she realised the movement in the trees was actually the missing duo.

Both orangutans appeared to be moving slowly and hesitantly. When the surrogate mother tried to lure them with fruit, Temon approached and took the offering without hesitation. Immediately, the surrogate mother took Temon’s hand.

Sneak attack from behind
Meanwhile, Lahei needed extra effort to coax: The surrogate mother had to chase him around to capture him. She finally caught him when his attention was diverted by fruit thrown in another direction. At that moment, the surrogate mother approached Lahei from behind, picked him up, and carried him back to the enclosure. The punishment for the two rascals followed swiftly; they had to spend the day in a sleeping complex and could not attend Forest School.

Relief upon their return
After several days of tension caused by the antics of the two Forest School students, the surrogate mothers felt relieved to see Temon and Lahei reunited with their peers. Ibu Sri, our surrogate mother coordinator, expressed her joy when the team located the two orangutans and safely returned them to the rehabilitation centre.

Temon and Lahei are still very young and not yet ready to survive in the wild on their own. Despite their intelligence and increasing signs of independence, they are still too immature and inexperienced for release.

These skilled explorers have definitely been challenging our surrogate mothers lately!

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