Orangutan baby Cantik, born in 2014, was found by local people in their garden within the Kutai National Park. Her health was poor, she had blood in her faeces and she appeared exhausted. She had no hair on her back and little hair on her knees, ankles and elbows. She was highly stressed, and would lie down in her cage, hiding her whole body under a towel. However, upon seeing Gonda, she wanted to play immediately.

Cantik means ‘Beautiful’. When Cantik was rescued, she was missing hair and was not so attractive. She was named Cantik because we believed she would grow to be a beautiful, healthy orangutan.

Cantik is currently in Level 3 in the ORANGUTAN FOREST SCHOOL which is conducted by our partner Yayasan Jejak Pulang in cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. She has learned a lot in her time with us. One really good sign is that she refuses less familiar people when she is worried and seeks them out for play when she is confident – this instinct will help her survive the jungle. Cantik loves playing with the younger orangutans and she is becoming a great role model for them – encouraging them to search for new forest food and to sleep in nests. Yet, they are sometimes too immature for her, so for more advanced play she goes to Eska. Cantik and Eska both love splashing about and wrestling in the water. They have a lot of fun, but Eska is older and stronger than her and sometimes lashes out when he is frustrated. The plight of the middle child!