I am so happy to introduce our new adoptee Rahayu ♥
Number 18 on my list of things to do this year was to adopt an animal. For those of you that know me well, know I am a huge animal lover. Domestic, wild, big, small - I love just about all of them! Years ago I came across the The Orangutan Project online when I was doing some research into palm oil (that's a whole new blog post right there!). They are a wonderful organisation doing great things for Orangutan conservation. Among their numerous projects, they support four rescue and rehab centres in Sumatra and Borneo. They currently have over 1000 orangutans in care with the ultimate goal of them being returned to the wild where possible. I was so pleased to find out that you could adopt an orangutan! Obviously you can't literally adopt them, make them your own and bring them home, but you can make a monthly donation (like a sponsorship) with funds going directly to helping these gorgeous little orphans. From just $55 per year you can help make a difference.
So, I didn't waste any time. I immediately adopted a cute little guy called Lear. He was so tiny and gorgeous. As time went on I received updates about him and his progress and am pleased that he is now a very healthy and cheeky young man!
He is now no longer available for adoption. Nearly a year has gone by without me having anything to do with the project but seeing as I decided to 'adopt' an animal again this year, I knew I would be contacting The Orangutan Project once again. This week I jumped on their website and browsed through the gorgeous orangutans on their adoption page. I very much encourage everyone to go and take a look. This time round I chose the beautiful Rahayu as I loved her story, and her eyes!
Rahayu arrived at the Orangutan Emergency Centre in April 2011 as a baby in a very critical condition. She had Cerebral Malaria and they were uncertain if she would survive. If she did, they thought she may have long term problems. She didn't show any signs of visual reflex and was having convulsions.
Slowly, thanks to 24 hour care, she got better and stronger and recovered from the disease. Another life saved thanks to The Orangutan Project. Rahayu is now about two and half years old. She weighs about 10kg is doing great! Although her eyesight was effected by Malaria, she doesn't let it stop her. She loves to eat and playfully tease the younger babies, but doesn't stray too far from her babysitters. They are transitioning her to a new, bigger care centre later this year where her human contact will be more limited and she can start bulding nests high in the trees. Hopefully one day she will find a mate and become a mummy, and maybe even be released back into the wild ♥
So, number 18 can be ticked off my list! I also have a few other items in progress which I will tell you about next time :)
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