Aman is recovering very well after being the first adult orangutan ever to have cataract surgery performed on him. The vets checke up on him this morning and everything is fine. Aman will now have to stay indoors for a week ot two whilst he recovers. It is improtant to keep him confined so that it is easy to check up on him, to apply his daily eye drops and to avoid exposure to direct sunlight.

The vets had to use an enormous amount of drugs to keep him unconscious during the operation so he slept for a few hours afterward the operation and woke up feeling very groggy. He has been sitting around feeling sorry for himself, closing his eyes some of the time but thankfully he has not been rubbing his eyes so all should go well. The vets will return again on Sunday for a final check up before returning to South Africa.

He has been looking around at things which is a new behaviour and we are sure that his sight has returned which is fantastic news. Aman celebrated the successful operation with a fresh and tasty dragonfruit.



Aman during his operation - on the left is a clear eye, on the right the opaque lens from the cataract is visible.

The operation was sponsored by the Orangutan Appeal UK, with volunteer donations going towards Aman's aftercare.

Labels: aman, cataract, Matang and local community education, matang wildlife centre, orang utan, orang-utan, orangutan diary