Retrospective Analysis of Food Solicitation Behavior in Two Semi-Wild Rehabilitated Sumatran Orangutans (Pongo abelii) in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia

Abstract

Interactions between tourists and semi-wild orangutans in Bukit Lawang may lead to over-habituation and food conditioning, threatening both animal welfare and conservation. This study aims to identify food solicitation behavior patterns in two rehabilitated female Sumatran orangutans, Mina and Jecky, and to evaluate evidence of habituation, food conditioning, and learned behavior based on public video recordings. The use of videos from the YouTube platform was chosen because it allows retrospective analysis of individuals that can no longer be observed directly (Mina was reported dead in 2020). A total of nine public videos (2009-2021) were analyzed using focal animal sampling and continuous behavioral recording. Behaviors were coded into operational categories such as approach (AP), physical contact (PC), hand restraint (HR), try to bite (TB), and release after feeding (RF). The results showed that Mina displayed a pattern of HR followed by RF after tourists gave food in three out of four videos analyzed, Jecky showed greater behavioral variation, with TB occurring more frequently (7 compared to 1 in Mina) without a consistently conditioned release pattern. Both individuals showed strong habituation, these imply that illegal feeding by tourists may shape operant behavior in semi-wild orangutans, increasing dependency, potential conflict, and disease transmission.