You will go bananas over these radiant redheads.
Deep in the Malaysian jungle is a unique hospital committed to saving the endangered Borneo orangutan.
The place is Bukit Merah Laketown Resort better known as Orang Utan Island.
Under the watchful eyes of nurses and vets at the Infant Care Unit, the orphans are cared for like any human baby.
They wear diapers, are bottle-fed formula and get up to all sorts of monkey business.
They cry when they’re hungry and even smile for “Mom.”
Resting and recuperating in the comfort of their cots, the 23 great apes’ health is crucial to the survival of the species.
They start the day with a sponge bath and are then weighed. Their blood pressure is regularly taken as well as their pulse and blood-oxygen content.
Since opening in 2004, the Infant Care Unit has looked after many orangutans like 3-month-old June-Junior, born on the Malaysian mainland.
She weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces when she was brought to the hospital with respiratory failure. Under the care of one of Malaysia’s most experienced vets, she is now doing fine.
Many of the apes brought to the hospital are orphans rejected by their mothers.
Once they reach 1 year of age, they are moved to the Infant Development Unit and eventually released back into the wild.
The hospital is part of a unique sanctuary, one of Malaysia’s largest eco-tourism resorts, which allows conservationists to research the species while also running a successful breeding program.
In the wild, orangutans can be found only in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. Humans remain their biggest threat through illegal poaching, mining, forest fires and the clearing of forests.
Between 45,000 and 70,000 are believed to live in the wild.