Janet’s story

In August 2022, young Janet was rescued by the forestry authority from a private household in a village in North Aceh. The owner claimed to have found the animal, which was only a few months old, in his garden with a bite wound from a dog. He then decided to keep her. For two months, Janet was kept as a pet, fed rice, dressed in human clothes and put on display on YouTube. When she arrived at our SOCP Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre, she was about one year old. Our veterinarians examined her and found a fracture in her left arm, which was successfully treated at the Centre. Today, Janet is bursting with energy and curiosity. She lives together with other orangutans in the socialisation enclosure, which is an important part of her rehabilitation programme.

A young orangutan with a lively spirit

The groups in the socialisation enclosure are carefully selected. Here, the young orangutans practise behaving in a manner appropriate to their species and develop their social skills in interacting with other orangutans. Janet shows a dominant side: she often claims the keepers’ food for herself and sometimes even snatches food from her fellow orangutans. The days when she only ate rice are long gone. Today, Janet is a very playful and spirited personality whose funny and curious nature delights everyone.