|
Aman
This male orangutan is the mighty Aman. He
is the iconic orangutan at
Matang and has
been in the newspaper numerous times. He is
the first orangutan, and possibly the first
great ape, to have cataract surgery.
Aman had trouble with a large male, called
Semenggoh, at another rehabilitation
facility in Sarawak. Aman had one of
his fingers bitten off by the other dominant
male and then electrocuted himself by
grabbing onto power lines. If you look at
the hand grabbing the rope in the photo,
Aman's left hand, you will see that his
first finger is missing. (You can click on
the photo to enlarge it.) Losing his finger
did not in any way paralyze his strength. I
put a full unbroken coconut in his
enclosure. With his left hand, he took the
coconut and broke the shell into three
pieces with just his fingers!
He has full cheek flanges characteristic of dominant male orangutans in Borneo. He is
much larger than the average male orangutan
because his cataracts left him almost completely blind,
which limited his mobility and
caused him to be less active and gain
weight. After living with his terrible
cataracts for almost ten years, Matang
Wildlife Center raised enough money for a
doctor to perform the surgery. The
surgery was successfully completed one
month before I began my practicum at MWC.
He was still adjusting to his new vision
during my stay. He moved very slowly and
cautiously as he maneuvered throughout his
enclosure, stopping periodically with his
eyes focused on the rainforest surrounding
him.
As of my time at Matang, there were no
release plans for him. The forest where the
orangutans are released is located extremely
close to the facility. He is too big and
powerful to have living freely in the nearby forest
because of all the visitors that come to
MWC. He poses too much of a threat if he is
free-ranging and in close proximity to the
center. Another orangutan at MWC bit a
tourist visiting the Center after she was
released. Now she is back at the center
until a plan can be devised for her second
release. |
