In October of 2015, rescuers from International Animal Rescue found a baby orangutan cruelly stuffed into a shoe-box.
The 5-month-old orangutan’s skin was so crusty he looked mummified, and he lay completely still. Even the most hardened rescuers were shocked by the state the little orangutan was in.
International Animal Rescue guessed that the orangutan had been taken into captivity illegally, but then his captors had decided they didn’t want him anymore. So they threw him into the jungle of Borneo, hoping that nature would take its course.
Thankfully, IAR found the orangutan before the worst could happen. They rushed him to their clinic, where they began treating him.
With the rescue team’s love and care, the baby orangutan made a stunning recovery!
The orangutan—who the rescuers named Gito—had a severe case of mange, which was why his skin was so crusty. The nurses at IAR’s clinic rubbed coconut oil all over little Gito’s body, which helped soothe his skin. They also put him on an IV drip to treat his severe dehydration and malnutrition. The rescuers think that he was fed a diet of only sweetened condensed milk in his old home, which was why he was so underweight.
A week after Gito entered International Animal Rescue’s clinic, he started looking much healthier.
IAR kept Gito quarantined until they had finished treating his highly contagious mange. Once he was cured, they enrolled him in “orangutan pre-school.” There, he learned everything he needed to know about being an orangutan. He got to play, climb, and make friends with other baby orangutans.
His best friend is another rescued orangutan named Asoka. IAR shared an adorable video of the two orangutans meeting for the first time.
In June of 2017, Gito graduated from pre-school to baby school. IAR shared the exciting news on their Facebook page.
Gito is now living a wonderful carefree life, which he deserves after everything he went through.
In the two years he has been at the International Animal Rescue center, Gito has grown into a happy and healthy young orangutan. If you’d like to support International Animal Rescue and their life-saving work, consider donating to their organization.
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