Buti, a baby orangutan who was left malnourished in a chicken cage before his rescue in Indonesia, has taken his first steps after months of painful physical therapy.   

Little Buti was being kept inside a cramped chicken cage when he was found in critical condition last December.

He couldn't walk, his body was bloated with malnutrition and his limbs were swollen and bent.

After spending his young life boxed in a small space, any movement seemed painful.

Months of intensive care and physical rehabilitation would follow.

The rehab started with simple arm lifting exercises with Buti clutching his veterinarian's finger.

He began to make a slow recovery, gaining more and more strength in his tiny body.

And then finally... Buti was able to walk on his own for the very first time.

It was the moment the rescue team had been working so hard for.

The listless little thing that couldn't even lift it's head a few months ago .... is rolling around the grass and picking himself right up.

But THIS will be the real test for Buti's future.

Learning to climb a tree in preparation for his eventual release into the wild where he belongs.