Rescued baby orangutan Gito ready for 'pre-school', says animal charity

Gito has recovered enough strength to allow him to climb like other orangutans Credit: International Animal Rescue/PA Wire

A baby orangutan who was left to die in a cardboard box left out in the sun is now healthy enough to attend 'pre-school' with other apes, the British charity that helped rehabilitate him has said.

Images released by the charity show baby Gito happily swinging from a climbing frame with other orphaned baby orangutans.

Images of Gito show him happily swinging from a climbing frame Credit: International Animal Rescue/PA Wire

That is in stark contrast to when he was found three months ago, lying in a filthy box, dehydrated and malnourished, by rescuers from East Sussex-based International Animal Rescue (IAR).

Gito was found in the village of Hamlet Giet in Simpang Hulu district, about 170km from the orangutan rehabilitation base in West Borneo.

Gito was found left in a box and suffering from sarcoptic mange Credit: International Animal Rescue/PA Wire

Rescuers found him suffering from diarrhoea and from sarcoptic mange - a highly contagious skin disease.

But in quarantine, he has developed enough strength in his arms and legs to climb and swing like other orangutans his age, a spokesman for IAR said.

Alan Knight, IAR's chief executive, said the charity had taken in an increasing number of baby orangutans amid devastating forest fires in the region.

"At least Gito and his friends are in safe hands now and progressing well," he said.

"Once they are bigger, stronger and more confident they will move on to baby school, the next stage of their rehabilitation and a step closer to their eventual release back into the wild."