Alba, the world’s only known albino orangutan, has been spotted in good physical shape in a rainforest in Borneo over a year after she was released into the wild in 2018.
The blue-eyed primate was taken from a cage where villagers kept her as a pet in Indonesia’s section of Borneo. She was then released into the wild when she was healthy enough.
When Alba was first found by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, she was suffering from dehydration, severely overweight, and riddled with parasites.
The group believed the albino orangutan had become separated from her mother before she was captured by villagers.
Alba could not go back to the wild right away because of her health problems. Albino species of primate can suffer from poor hearing and eyesight, and have also a higher chance of developing skin cancer.
Thanks to the conservation group, Alba’s health was restored and she was moved to a 10-hectare man-made forest near the rehabilitation center.
The 6-year-old orangutan was joined in by three other orangutans, 4-year-old Unyu, 6-year-old Kika, and 4-year-old Radmala.
In December 2018, Alba was finally released into the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park as she had already become physically strong. She also managed to learn essential skills for survival.
Indra Exploitasia, the environmental ministry’s director of biodiversity conservation, said: “After we learned that she can build nests, forage independently and is no longer dependent on human assistance we concluded that she can survive in the forest.”
Veterinarian Agus Fathoni also said to the Associated Press at that time: “Alba has no inferiority complex as we imagined before. She is very confident compared to other orangutans.”
Fathoni also said that the real threat to her life was poachers who think she’s a valuable target.
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Replaced!