Baby orangutans take wheelbarrow to school to learn how to survive in the wild

The video, shot by International Animal Rescue, shows the animals’ adorable school run

Abandoned orangutans are learning how to survive in the world thanks to a dedicated school, which they take a wheelbarrow to each morning.

Aside from their adorable school run, the orangutans at International Animal Rescue’s school in Keptang, Indonesia, learn from each other how to be off the ground and among the tree tops, as well as what to eat.

These are the skills that are usually taught by the youngsters’ mothers, as the animals learn by imitation and observation. They usually spend between seven and eight years with their mother.

(IAR)

IAR tried to create an environment as close possible to nature for the orangutans, which resulted in forest schools being conceived, “where they can learn from each other”.

As IAR’s project director, Karmele Llano Sanchez, says "When the orangutans arrive here we try to give them an environment that is as natural as possible, that is why we created the forest schools.

"What we want is to try to replicate what an orangutan will do in the wild, so this is what they will learn during the process of rehabilitation."

The sanctuary currently houses 102 orangutans, with the chief aim of returning the animals to the wild once they are fully rehabilitated.

According to WWF, the Borneo orangutan population is estimated to be between 45,000 to 69,000 while there are as few as 7.500 Sumatran orangutans left.