Meet Didik: Shot and Orphaned Baby Orangutan

Didik is an orphan baby orangutan. Vets of International Animal Rescue (IAR) in Indonesia are caring for him. He is a very special little orangutan as his story touched many hearts.

In June 2016, someone abandoned Didik in a shop. He had a bullet in his shoulder. He was very weak and sick. Poachers shot his mother dead and Didik was injured. They did this evil act so that they could capture Didik and sell him as a pet. Luckily, IAR's rescue team found Didik. He was in an alarming condition. He was starving. He looked like a tiny baby, but the vets examined his teeth and estimated him to be about 18 months old. Poor little Didik didn’t grow due to malnutrition. They took Didik to the IAR centre; there his care and treatment began.

The vets gave him a large teddy bear with orange fur on its tummy for him to cling to and sleep on, in place of his mother. Losing his mother in such frightening circumstances left poor Didik deeply traumatised. You could see his pain and sadness in his beautiful innocent eyes. Vets explained: "For an animal like an orangutan, witnessing the death of its mother is a profoundly shocking experience. That is undoubtedly why Didik looks so sad and depressed. It will take a long time for him to recover from the nightmare he has been through and start to take an interest in his surroundings."

The IAR team worked hard to help Didik recover both mentally and physically. Fortunately, the little orangutan proved to be a fighter. He had surgery and vets removed the bullet from his shoulder. He now lives with more than 100 other orangutans in IAR’s sanctuary and is doing really well.
Didik, the orphaned orangutan, got a second chance. His story really shows clearly the plight of many orangutans. These animals, like so many other species, are critically endangered. Didik’s story is a happy one. But there are many sad stories in the wild. We must save the orangutans so there won’t be more Didiks!