Short Communication: Ex-Pet Adult Female Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Daily Behavior in Rehabilitation Centre

Abstract

Ex-pet orangutans often lack essential survival skills due to low opportunity to express their natural behavior in captivity. Assessment of captive orangutan behavior is vital before deciding on the possibility of its release. The specific behavior can be used as indicators of health condition, adaptive mechanism, and welfare status. This study examined the daily behavior of an ex-pet adult female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) as a newly arrived in BORA rehabilitation centre at East Kalimantan. The behavior observed from August 15th to September 15th 2025, two weeks after relocation and adaptation with facility features in quarantine cage. Instantaneous method used to collect daily behavior (activity, food preference, locomotion, posture, atypical, and location) with total 3,160 minutes observation time. Result showed that predominate activities were resting (39%), traveling (24%), and feeding (12%). Food preference dominated by ripe fruit (26%), drink (26%), and vegetable (14%). Most locomotion exhibited were bipedal (32%), climb up (25%), and traversing climb (16%). Atypical behaviors occurred 76 times in 14 days such as repetitive walking around (55%), repetitive brachiation (18%), and sucking iron (14%). This activity, food preference, locomotion, and posture indicates poor survival skill, poor health condition, and low potential for immediate release. These findings can determine the individual welfare status by providing positive welfare experiences that stimulate species-specific behavior, support the health, and fulfill the nutrition needs. However, this research are limited due to individual case and considered as a preliminary study.