Kopral has been receiving treatment at the clinic since April 2023 due to wounds on the sole of his right foot and fungus between his toes.
However, due to the renovations and expansion of the orangutan clinic, the treatment cage area has become exposed. On June 7th, our veterinary team decided to relocate Kopral to the individual enclosure complex.
Fortunately, the wound on the sole of his foot has healed and closed. The fungus between his toes is still being treated with antifungal medicines. Only his ankle remains stiff. The good news is that the previously torn and open skin has healed and is growing back normally. So far, he has been walking about, but only by using the back of his foot.
To further Kopral’s ankle treatment, our veterinary team met with a human orthopaedic expert to discuss the possible causes of his ankle’s poor condition. According to their analysis, without intervention, he could develop contracture or stiff muscles in his leg. This would be marked by a pronounced absence of mobility in muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments.
Kopral’s ankle is being treated with infrared light therapy, while the sole of his foot is being treated with coconut oil, betadine, and antifungal medication. Kopral is also receiving positive reinforcement training to ease the application of treatments and keep him stimulated. Everything the team is doing is to aid in the recovery of his foot. The training workout consists of him fishing with toy sticks using his feet while the team reinforces this moment by giving him a tasty, nutritious diet and medicinal beverages. During this exercise, Kopral cleverly moves his foot to the opposite side of the cage for five minutes. He can also balance nicely during the exercise.
Kopral’s weight has increased to 67 kg, making him overweight for an orangutan of his age. As a result, our veterinary and nutrition teams have agreed that Kopral needs to start a light diet. The amount of food offered to him now is approximately 4 kg, with a 3:1 ratio (3 kg of vegetables and 1 kg of fruits). Kopral is still given a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, including papaya leaves, cucumbers, figs, long beans, carrots, eggplants, watermelon, papaya, snake fruit, guava, rambutan, pineapple, and dragon fruit.
We are looking forward to Kopral’s recovery and return to Island 3.
Text by: Communications Team at Samboja Lestari, East Kalimantan
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