Return of the native: Cognition and site-specific expertise in orangutan rehabilitation

Ex-captive orangutans that have returned to free forest life in Bornean forests offer exceptional opportunities to assess the cognitive challenges facing feral great apes They also provide opportunities to track readaptation, which requires building expertise to survive in tropical rain forests and to integrate into orangutan communities 1 outline some of the foraging problems that ex-captive orangutans encounter, the cognitive processes used in their solutions, and acquisition patterns. Evidence derives primarily from observational studies of feeding behavior in free-ranging ex-captives. Discussion focuses on. implications for conservation initiatives.