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Bidu-Bidu has been released!

After 6 years on Sepilok's rehabilitation programme, orphan Bidu-Bidu has been released back into the rainforest!

Orphan Bidu-Bidu was rescued and taken to Sepilok in 2013 as a young baby. A plantation owner found him alone in an area called the Bidu-Bidu Forest Reserve with his mother nowhere to be found. Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre were notified about this tiny baby orangutan and the rangers soon arrived to collect him and take him back to the centre to be cared for. Soon, he joined the rehabilitation programme with the other orphans where he would be taught all the skills which he would need to enable him to be returned to the wild one day.

Bidu-Bidu has been very popular with both the staff and the other orangutans due to his very playful nature. He has gained in confidence over the years and also gained in weight! He has always been bigger than many of his nursery mates and at the time of his release, Bidu weighed a hefty 30kg. In the wild fully-grown male orangutans can reach 80kg or more so Bidu’s healthy weight for his age will give him a good foundation to potentially grow into a dominant male one day.

Young infant orangutan smiling.

Over the last few months Bidu-Bidu has been progressing brilliantly through the final stages of rehabilitation. He has been spending much more time alone in the forest and exploring further and further from his familiar nursery area. Bidu’s carers decided to release him for a trial week to see how he would cope. Sepilok’s rangers kept a close eye on Bidu and reported that he was coping brilliantly and seemed to be thriving in the forest. The decision was then made. Bidu was ready and would be released for good!

Since his release Bidu-Bidu has still been returning to the centre's feeding platforms to supplement his own foraged diet but we are pleased to report that he seems to be very healthy and happy. His six years on the rehabilitation programme have clearly set him up for a successful future in the wild and we are confident he will thrive in the forest, where he belongs.

Adult male orangutan hanging from tree in rainforest.

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