Alba The Albino Orangutan Is Now Free, Living In The Trees Again

[jpak]

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/21/679166590/alba-the-albino-orangutan-is-now-free-living-in-the-trees-again

Alba, a rare albino orangutan who has captivated fans far beyond her native Borneo, is now free and living in a forest among other orangutans. She was released this week in a national park in Indonesia, along with Kika, a female orangutan with whom she had become friends.

With striking blue eyes and white hair, Alba was rescued last year by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation — which calls her "the only albino orangutan ever recorded."

Alba was rescued in the spring of 2017 from a village on the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, where she had been kept in a cage. At the time, she was an underweight 5-year-old suffering from stress, dehydration, a parasite infection and other ailments. She gained 10 pounds in her first 10 days under close care, the BOS Foundation said.

The unique orangutan quickly became an Internet sensation after the foundation called for suggestions to name her in May 2017. They settled on Alba — meaning "white" in Latin and "dawn" in Spanish.

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