The 5-year-old great ape is the first ever albino orangutan that the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation has seen in its 25 years of conservation work.
A rare albino orangutan who became separated from her mother has been rescued in Borneo - and now she's looking for a name.
The 5-year-old great ape is the first ever albino orangutan that the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation has seen in its 25 years of conservation work, the Associated Press reported.
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She was rescued from villagers on April 29 and now the foundation is giving her around-the-clock care in a dimly lit room—due to her sensitivity to light—as she gets stronger each day.
"Understandably, she still has a long way to go in her recovery following the trauma of losing her mother and her illegal capture,” foundation spokesman Nico Hermanu said in a statement.
The foundation believes the albino orangutan managed to survive in the wild due to a "protective" mother, but somehow, they became separated.
Some villagers in Central Kalimantan province said the orangutan strayed from the forest and they kept her for two days, according to the foundation. But other villagers contacted authorities and a government conservation agency to ask for help.
Veterinarian Arga Sawung Kusuma told the AP that the orangutan was stressed when she was rescued and was suffering from dehydration.
"Her body was curled up," she said. "Her weight is only about 8.3 kilograms (about 18 pounds), which for female orangutans aged about 5 years, she is very skinny indeed."
The foundation is not sure if she'll be able to return to the wild.
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Now they hope that the orangutan will become a symbol of efforts to save the species, and they're hoping members of the public will help give her a "meaningful" name reflecting the plight the creatures face.
Bornean orangutans were declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature last year due to hunting and deforestation.
Name suggestions can be sent to name@orangutan.org.id or by using the hashtag #albinoorangutan on social media until May 14. The group will announce the final decision May 15.
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