Rescued Baby Orangutan Shows Off Her First Teeth
She's the bravest little girl.
Popi was only a few weeks old when she was found all alone and helpless on a palm oil plantation in Borneo.
"She didn't have any teeth," Yuyun Mangoensoekardjo, communications manager for the Center for Orangutan Protection (COP), told The Dodo. "[She was] just crying."
No orangutan mother would leave a baby this young behind - so it's thought that Popi's mom died.
Sadly, it's an all too common state of affairs in Indonesia, where the palm oil industry is razing rainforest and pushing orangutans out of their forest homes. Because of this conflict, often the endangered animals starve to death or are killed.
But Popi was determined to live, even though, according to COP, there's a low survival rate for baby orangutans orphaned so young.
Since she was saved in September and brought to a COP's veterinary center, rescuers have been working 24 hours a day to keep Popi strong. They feed her with a bottle and hold her with a faux fur blanket, so she can feel like she's in the arms of her mom.
Even though she lost her family, she seems to know people care about her. And even though people weren't sure if she'd survive, after a few months in the care of her rescuers, she's still going strong.
"Now she has four teeth," Wahyuni said.
You can help Popi by making a donation to her care here.