Vivy, a Bornean Orangutan, has made his way back to the rainforest after almost succumbing to malnourishment. As reported by People magazine, rescuers from the Orangutan Project, a non-profit initiative that aims to conserve the species, stumbled upon the ailing mammal at a rubber plantation near a village in Borneo on April 20.
The Bornean Orangutan is native to where it gets its name from Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is one of three of its kind, with the rarest and greatest apes in the world being the Tapanuli orangutans. It was the first ape to be caught on camera in about a century and is native to the Batang Toru Forest in Indonesia. However, there are less than 800 of these primates left.
The Orangutan Project issues a statement on Instagram revealing that Bornean Orangutan Vivy is back in full swing in the wild
Per People Magazine, rescuers transported the suffering primate back to the Orangutan Project's Bornean Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA) rescue center, where it was medically treated. However, it was there that they learned of the primate's severe injuries: an injured right eye and a ruptured cornea.
Vivy, the 12-year-old orangutan, was also the target of a shooting, having been found with two air rifle bullets embedded in his neck and foot, "highlighting the harsh realities of human-orangutan conflict."
Bornean orangutans can be identified by their shaggy orange-ish red hide that covers almost their entire body- except their face, ears, palms, and soles of their feet. Their long arms are also of keen interest, as it is almost 1.5x longer than their other limbs.
Per People magazine, Vivy had to undergo surgery to extract the pellet in the foot, while the one in the neck was left in, as it was deemed too risky to tamper with. He was then left with months to recuperate, following which, he was released back into the wild.
In an official statement on their website, the Orangutan Project released an update on Vivy's condition after surgery:
"We do have some wonderful news to celebrate. We are pleased to share that Vivy has made a full recovery, and regained his forest freedom! After sharing the heartbreaking story of Vivy’s rescue, our wonderful community stepped in so that Vivy could receive life-saving surgery. After he was shot multiple times, Vivy needed urgent medical care for his survival. Thanks to our amazing supporters, Vivy is now fully recovered and back in the wild, where he belongs!"
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In the wake of his surgery, the Orangutan Project launched a fundraising campaign to support the costs of treatment. In a post on Instagram, the agency called on everyone to send in whatever they could by midnight of September 30 to care for Vivy. However, it remains unclear how much they raised.
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