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mara had always been one of the
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liveliest orangutans in the sanctuary
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she played climbed and swung around like
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the others often leading games among the
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younger ones but 3 days ago something
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changed she walked out to a patch of
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dirt near the far corner of the outdoor
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enclosure and just sat since then she
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hadn't moved not once not even to sleep
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caretakers assumed she was tired by the
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second morning concern had started to
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grow it was clear she hadn't eaten
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anything from the communal feeding tray
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normally she was one of the first to
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snatch up bananas "she's acting like
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she's sitting on a treasure chest," said
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Rosa one of the senior caretakers ben
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chuckled but it was half-hearted
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orangutans didn't behave like this
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without a reason and Mara wasn't just
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any apeshay had been one of the most
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expressive social ones occasionally she
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adjusted her arms but her lower body
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never shifted she was clearly guarding
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that patch of earth but why was she
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doing that what was she hiding from her
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caretakers and her own kin it must have
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been important because Ben didn't
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recognize his furry friend at all in
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this behavior caretakers took turns
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watching her on the night cameras at
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3:00 a.m someone noted that Mara hadn't
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even changed posture she was wide awake
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arms folded tightly her body language
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said "Stay away." One younger male
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orangutan approached her out of
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curiosity but Mara let out a deep
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guttural sound which caused the other
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ape to back off immediately "she's
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hiding something," Rosa muttered "but
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what?" There were no digging marks
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beneath her and yet the way she clenched
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her fists when someone stepped too close
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it was as if the ground beneath her was
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more valuable than anything they'd ever
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offered her they tried distracting her
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with noise speakers played jungle sounds
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a recorded call of another orangutan was
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broadcast from a hidden device nothing
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mara didn't flinch but when they rolled
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it into the enclosure and angled it
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toward her she didn't even glance at it
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her focus remained forward frustrated
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the caretakers considered physical
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relocation but that idea was quickly
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shelled ben suggested building a
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temporary fence around her but Mara
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never let any caretaker come close
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enough to start such a build they needed
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her to move on her own by the end of the
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third day the team grew exhausted from
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constant observation each time they
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arrived hoping to see her standing or
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stretching or walking again but no
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always the same mute and unmovable
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reaction her muscles would decline
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rapidly and the ape colony at the
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sanctuary could discard her altogether
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and that was a problem because an
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isolated orangutan was a dead orangutan
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in most cases by now even the vet had no
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answers mara was eating just enough to
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stay alive and she didn't appear sick or
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injured but she was clearly stressed and
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territorial every method they tried had
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failed the team stood by the observation
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window at dusk arms folded worried
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expressions on every face "she's hiding
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something," Rosa repeated "but how do we
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find out what?" That evening while
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reviewing Mara's case in the dim staff
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office Rosa suddenly snapped her fingers
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"the mouse," she said ben blinked
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confused "she's terrified of mice
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remember that time one got into the
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enclosures screamed climbed the fence
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wouldn't come down for an hour ben
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nodded slowly you think that might work
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rosa was already grabbing her coat we're
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going to the toy store the local shop
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wasn't fancy but they found exactly what
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they needed a batterypowered prank mouse
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with tiny wheels and a simple remote
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control "this one can dart turn even
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pause," Rosa explained reading the box
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ben paid in cash the cashier gave them a
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puzzled look but neither cared they
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hurried back to the sanctuary nervous
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energy buzzing between them the entire
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drive the other orangutans had been
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ushered inside for the night ben made
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sure the gates to the enclosure were
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locked tight so no one could interfere
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meanwhile Rosa adjusted the little
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device taping a dark fuzzball onto it to
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make it more convincing "ready?" she
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asked ben nodded and took his place in
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the bushes near Mara heart pounding the
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air was heavy with tension rosa crouched
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behind the nighttime enclosures shadowed
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wall clutching the small plastic remote
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she gave Ben a silent nod he crouched
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lower eyes fixed on Mara's position she
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was still in her usual spot unmoving her
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hulking form resting heavily in the dirt
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rosa placed the tiny wheeled mouse on
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the ground and flicked the switch its
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red light blinked then ever so slowly it
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rolled forward a little fake rodent
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skittered a few inches at a time its
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tiny wheels humming softly on the ground
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at first Mara didn't notice the
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flickering light above her cast shadows
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in every direction making it harder to
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spot something small and low to the
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ground but as the toy crept within 10 ft
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Rosa pressed the control harder the
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mouse picked up speed racing toward her
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mara's reaction was instant and visceral
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she let out a sharp panicked squeal
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unlike anything they'd heard in weeks
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her arms flailed and she leapt sideways
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in a clumsy but fast motion for the
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first time in days her bottom lifted off
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the dirt she stumbled away from her
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sitting spot eyes locked on the tiny
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terror approaching her from the shadows
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ben didn't wait the moment Mara shifted
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he darted forward his boots barely made
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a sound on the grass the hole was sunken
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and warm from pressure he thrust his
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hand into the hollow gripping something
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firm and unfamiliar no time to examine
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it mara was already sniffing the air ben
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sprinted toward the bushes clutching the
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object tightly behind him he heard Mara
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grunt angry then mournful she had
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realized something had been taken ben
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didn't look back he slipped through the
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rear gate slammed it shut and locked it
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behind him as he caught his breath her
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cries filled the heirlong low and pain
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"i'm sorry," he whispered "whatever this
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is we had to know." He glanced down at
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the dirt covered object still damp and
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oddly warm he moved quickly through the
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darkened paths staff building lights
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flickering in the distance at the staff
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entrance he stepped quietly to avoid
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disturbing nearby animals reaching the
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office warm light spilled into the hall
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rosa stood inside pacing she turned eyes
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wide "did you get it?" Ben nodded she
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jumped the mouse worked he placed the
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scuffed decoy rodent on the table rosa
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exhaled in disbelief but her attention
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turned quickly to the bundle he carried
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"what about that what was she sitting
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on?" "I don't know," Ben said "didn't
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look she noticed right away and made
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this awful sound i just ran." Rosa
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closed the door carefully "let's find
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out." The object was still wrapped in a
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thin cloth toad bag Ben's impromptu way
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of securing it in case it was alive it
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was the most logical choice under
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pressure whatever was inside remained
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heavy rosa watched as Ben approached the
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table her hands clenched "careful," she
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murmured he took deliberate steps and
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gently placed the bag down suddenly a
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sharp squeal rang out the bag moved rosa
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jumped back "it's alive," she gasped ben
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froze startled "open it," she urged ben
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reached for the bag's edge hands
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trembling rosa stood behind him silent
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slowly he unfolded the fabric revealing
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something small pink-faced and wrapped
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in fuzz they both gasped it was a baby
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but not what they expected ben stepped
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back stunned "that's not an orangutan."
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Rosa knelt closer the infant blinked and
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squeak its pale face long arms and
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expressive eyes were unmistakable a baby
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gibbon she whispered just days old but
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how had it gotten there and why had Mara
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guarded it so fiercely they called the
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vet at once while waiting Rosa glanced
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at the monitor mara paced the enclosure
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frantically searching her distress was
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obvious she's not just guarding it Ben
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said she's bonded with it rosa's heart
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sank she was keeping it alive the vet
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arrived quickly and examined the infant
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healthy he confirmed slightly dehydrated
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but no injuries looks like she's been
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fed fruit maybe she'll need milk Rosa
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added ben pointed to the back room we
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have formula from the last rescue
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moments later they offered the bottle
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the baby drank deeply the room filled
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with quiet relief as the baby given
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suckled from the bottle "how did Mara
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end up with her?" Rosa asked the vet
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suggested checking the security footage
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the Gibbon enclosure is next to the
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orangutan one he explained some branches
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hang over one Gibbon may have given
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birth up high the baby could have fallen
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the footage confirmed it a newborn
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gibbon dropped from a branch into Mara's
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area landing in a tangle of leaves
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moments later Mara appeared and gently
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picked up the infant she looked around
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then dug a shallow hollow and placed the
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baby inside "she hid it," Rosa said the
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vet nodded the others might have harmed
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it mara saw a baby in need ben realized
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Mara hadn't been acting erratically she
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had made a conscious protective choice
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though the baby wasn't her own she had
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guarded it fiercely now that they
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understood the team discussed a plan
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mara needed a quiet space to care for
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the baby without interference rosa
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proposed using the empty adjacent
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enclosure connecting it with a gate they
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prepared it with soft bedding and
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enrichment items the baby Gibbon was
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placed within Mara's view instantly she
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crossed into the space scooped up the
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infant and sat back down as if nothing
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had changed with her baby back Mara
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became calmer when Rosa approached with
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milk Mara no longer resisted she watched
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wary but accepting as Rosa knelt to feed
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the gibbon mara placed a hand on the
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baby's belly her other brushing its fur
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she was letting them help a routine
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formed rosa and Ben fed the baby milk
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three times a day while Mara handled
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nurturing and grooming the bond between
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them deepened to avoid disrupting this
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fragile unit the team chose not to
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introduce other apes still questions
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loomed the Gibbon would grow and Gibbons
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needed their own kind the vet suggested
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that when the time came they try a
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careful reintegration but for now there
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was peace the baby had a mother mara's
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troop adjusted from behind the fence
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they watched her sometimes curious
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sometimes indifferent over time even the
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dominant males stopped calling her back
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she had found something more important
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than hierarchy or routine news of the
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unusual pairing spread inquiries came
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from researchers and media but the
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sanctuary declined attention let them be
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Ben said this isn't a show it's about
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compassion they documented everything
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only for education and care months
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passed the baby Gibbon now named Kiki
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grew stronger healthier she clung to
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Mara like she belonged her cries ceased
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her feeding became regular mara in turn
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seemed revived grounded in her new role
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it was an unexpected motherhood but one
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that fit her completely love they
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realized didn't require shared DNA one
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evening Ben stood by the enclosure
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watching Mara rock Kiki in the fading
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light rosa joined him "she never gave
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up," Rosa said ben nodded she knew
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better than all of us and there they sat
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mother and child safe and whole their
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silhouettes framed by the setting sun in
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a world where instincts divide Mara's
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devotion erased those lines she never
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needed words to express protection care
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or love she simply acted with quiet
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determination her story became a silent