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Tombi lives Independently

Tombi is ready to start living as an independent orangutan!

Ever since the day little Tombi arrived at Sepilok, frightened and alone, he has demonstrated such strength of character and bravery. When he was found on a farm near the banks of the Kinabatangan River he was suffering with malaria and required immediate veterinary attention. Luckily for him the team at Sepilok were able to nurse him back to health and he thrived!

A young unwell orangutan lying with towels around him on top of a metal vet table with plastic tubes going to his nose.

Tombi means 'Spirit of the Forest' in Malay and he was named so as a result of his confidence and courage. These characteristics have remained with Tombi and will continue to serve him well as he begins to explore further afield in the Kabili Reserve surrounding Sepilok.

The past 6 months have demonstrated beyond a doubt that Tombi is more than capable of taking care of himself. He has developed so many essential life skills at Sepilok that will be crucial for his survival as an independent male orangutan. Most importantly Tombi can feed himself from wild grown foods in the forest and successfully make cosy nests high in the treetops for safe and restful sleep.

A young orangutan drinking milk from a bottle.

Other things that Tombi had to master during his time at Sepilok included climbing - a very important requirement for any orangutan! Staff at the indoor nursery would gently encourage his long fingers and toes to grip the training ropes, and from there he learnt how to swing one arm past the other to move effortlessly around the whole area.

A young male orangutan climbing across ropes.

Now that Tombi has gained the life skills his mother would have taught him in the wild, it is clear that he is ready for a new adventure. Reintroducing male orangutans into the wild is not only a positive step for the individual, but also for the species as a whole. We hope that Tombi will go on to have babies of his own some day which will help to increase the limited gene pool of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan.

A older male orangutan staring at the camrea.

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