Artemis is a six-year-old female orangutan, who was born on 1 April 2019 at the Sintang Quarantine Centre. She is the offspring of the orangutan couple Bablu and Oli. Since her birth, Artemis has been getting special care from the medical and behavioural team at the Sintang Orangutan Center (SOC). Bablu, her mother, had spent years in human captivity before her rescue, prompting the SOC team to closely monitor her ability to care for Artemis. However, Bablu proved to be an exceptional mother, providing the best care and affection for Artemis.
YAD Adopts Artemis, Saves Orangutan
On June 15, 2020, the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation (YAD) officially adopted Artemis. Artemis’ name was personally chosen by Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, the daughter of YAD Chairman, Hashim Djojohadikusumo. Inspired by the Greek goddess of the hunt, nature, and wildlife, the name Artemis reflects hopes that she will one day thrive as a wild orangutan in her natural habitat.
During her early years, Artemis remained under SOC’s watchful supervision while staying close to Bablu. When the time came to separate them, she was placed in a group with fellow young orangutans Joss, Bondan, and Gieke. Though she no longer lived alongside Bablu, her enclosure was positioned nearby so they could still interact.
Artemis, the Cheeky Young Orangutan
Artemis, a cheerful little orangutan, is showing more of her unique personality during her time in the socialisation enclosure.
Artemis is a six-year-old female orangutan. Her behaviour often reflects a strong curiosity and fascination towards humans. When the animal keeper approaches her enclosure for observation, Artemis playfully moves closer. She tapped on the cage bars with her hands as if demanding attention. However, as the keeper steps nearer, she quickly retreats, only to repeat the entire act moments later.
One particularly interesting moment occurred when Artemis leaned her head toward the animal keeper. When Artemis was gently stroked, rather than resisting, she seemed to enjoy it—offering a rare glimpse into her affectionate side.
During her downtime, Artemis finds creative ways to entertain herself. She frequently plays with the hammock ropes inside her enclosure, even swinging enthusiastically from a broken strand. At other times, she simply wanders around or sits quietly, observing the activities outside—especially the ongoing construction work.
When mealtime arrives, Artemis prefers to keep her distance from her two enclosure companions, Redi and Gieke, choosing a quiet corner to eat alone. However, once she finishes her portion and notices that Gieke still has food left, she swiftly moves in, attempting to snatch some for herself. This often results in a brief tug-of-war between the two, but Artemis usually emerges as the ‘winner’, securing Gieke’s food for her own enjoyment.
Outside of mealtime, Artemis occasionally plays with Redi, engaging in light wrestling or a game of tag. Despite this, she tends to avoid Redi more often than not. In one amusing moment, Artemis ran toward an open tunnel entrance and sought refuge inside. Redi, seeing her there, decided against pursuing her—allowing Artemis to enjoy a moment of solitude.
Entering Jerora Forest School
On 27 April 2024, when Artemis was 5 years old, she and her group were transferred to Jerora Forest School for the next stage of their rehabilitation. Although they were further separated from their mother, they could still see each other from a distance. Initially, Artemis showed fear and reluctance to move away from her mother’s enclosure. Several times, she even tried to break through the electric wire dividing the forest school to return to her mother’s enclosure.
Behavioural observations from her time in forest school reveal that she has acquired a range of essential survival skills: she climbs with various forms of locomotion, can identify and forage over 25 types of natural foods, builds her own nests, and uses forest space proportionally—spending more time in the canopy than on the forest floor. Just as importantly, she has begun to show social interest in fellow orangutans while reducing interactions with humans—an encouraging indicator in the rewilding process.
She has even demonstrated resourcefulness by renovating an old nest for reuse—a sign of strong adaptability. Today, in her new group with Gieke and Redi, she continues to demonstrate her social and exploratory behaviours. Given her impressive progress in physical growth, health, and behavioural development, it is hoped that one day Artemis will be returned to the wild where she can thrive as a free orangutan.
Observing Artemis’s Readiness for Independent Life in the Wild
Currently, the SOC team continues to monitor one critical area: Artemis’s readiness to survive independently in the wild. Psychologically, her dependence on a maternal figure remains a concern. Given her relatively young age, this attachment is natural—but it also signals that her behavioural development is still in progress. At six years old, Artemis is showing promising signs of maturity.
Once Artemis demonstrates all key indicators of readiness, the next steps will involve a final medical evaluation and technical preparations for her release and post-release monitoring in the field.
If her progress continues, Artemis could be ready to return to the wild before the year’s end.
Author: drh. Vicktor Vernandes (Programme Manager Yayasan Penyelamatan Orangutan Sintang/Sintang Orangutan Center),
Tito Suryawan