The world’s only albino orangutan is loving life back in the wild

(Image credit: AP Photo/Andi Jatmiko)

published 21 December 2018

Alba was "starving and dehydrated" in an Indonesian village a little more than a year ago. Today she's back in the wild and absolutely thriving.

The world's only known albino orangutan, named "Alba" because it means white in Latin, was being kept in a cage as a pet when conservationists found her last April, per The Sydney Morning Herald. The five-year-old is part of a critically endangered species, found only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Hearing and eyesight difficulties stemming from Alba's albinism put her life in even more danger.

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Alba quickly smashed those fears after being released into Indonesia's Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park on Friday. She's not only climbing 15-foot trees and foraging for food; she's also "very confident compared to other orangutans," a veterinarian tells the Morning Herald. The biggest threat actually comes from humans, vets say. The park is stocked with staff to deter poachers, and Alba is being electronically tracked in hopes that she can keep loving her jungle home for years to come.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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