Baby orangutan kept in chicken cage saved after months of neglect

A baby orangutan rescued from a house in Borneo is making a slow recovery after he was kept in a chicken cage and fed condensed milk. The orangutan, Budi, was so malnourished when he was saved by an International Animal Rescue (IAR) team that his bones were malformed and his limbs swollen from a lack of protein. Budi is about a year old and was rescued in December.



He was kept in the cage for the whole 10 months he was living as a pet at the property. His owner, a woman, told authorities that she was willing to hand Budi over and she knew he was sick. "The owner said that she was afraid to give Budi any fruits and thought that giving condensed milk would be sufficient," says Dr Ayu Handayani, who rescued Budi. The orangutan is now receiving intensive treatment at IAR's Indonesian centre.



The pain he is suffering is clear, as he cries whenever he is touched or moved. "We cannot even imagine how much pain this small baby has suffered," says IAR's Indonesian programme director Dr Karmele L Sanchez. "His eyes fill with tears every time he's moved by the doctors and he screams in pain. It's really amazing that Budi has been able to survive this long." Budi is also receiving treatment for a severe metabolic disease affecting his bones.

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He was unable to sit on his own when he first arrived at the clinic, but can now sit for short periods. "At the moment we are still worried for his life and trying to minimise his pain. But Budi is a very strong little baby and he is fighting very hard to survive," says Dr Karmele. It's too early to know whether the neglect Budi faced will leave him with permanent damage.