Bella...

I returned to Novorossisyk on Tuesday, and since then I have been busy with my normal, obsessive cleaning.  With our trip to Borneo, and then my immediate flight to the States, it had been about almost 3 months since I stepped foot in our apartment.  The apartment is now back to its spotless self, and I am once again blogging away.

While going through the mail that had accumulated in my absence, I came across a packet from Orangutan Appeal UK.  If you recall, while we were in Borneo, we stopped at Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Centre.  It was during that visit, that we decided to adopt an orangutan.  Orangutan Appeal UK uses the adoption money to continue to fund research and rehabilitation of orangutans that are orphaned.

I would like to introduce you to our adopted orangutan, Bella.....

She was found by a manager at a palm oil plantation, and he brought her to Sepilok for the care she needed.  Bella has been with Sepilok since October 2010.  The rehabilitation centre keeps the orangutans until the staff believes they are ready to be released back into their natural home.

Our trip to Borneo was not only an adventure in nature, but also an adventure in adoptions.  We are now adoptive parents to Bella, the orangutan, and about one hundred sea turtles!