Which zoos have orangutans

Asian short clawed otter. Bactrian camel. Brazilian tapir. Californian Sealion. Cotton-top tamarin. Elephant Asian. Giant anteater. Gorilla Western lowland. Hartmanns zebra. Iberian wolf. King colobus monkey. Lion African. Mediterranean miniature donkey. North American tree porcupine.

Orangutans have complex cognitive and spatial skills, meaning that they have good memories and are outstanding problem-solvers. Orangutans are highly endangered as a result of habitat loss and black market trade for infants as pets. There are three species of orangutans: Bornean, Sumatran, Tapanuli recently discovered, Tapanuliensis. Morphologically, the Tapanuli species has differing skull and teeth structure. They are found in an isolated area of the northern part of the island of Sumatra.

There are fewer than individuals making them among the most endangered great apes. Orangutans are outside and usually may be seen year-round as long as temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. On cooler days, or mornings, and during storms, they will be snuggled up indoors with their favorite blankets and nests they build from fresh straw every day. Orangutans are the only apes that do not live in large social groups.

This behavior is associated with their diet, primarily of fruit, as a large social or family group would deplete the usually sources of fruit in any given area. When there is an abundance of food, such as a concentrated area of fruiting trees, females and juveniles may gather into social groups to take advantage of the resource.

Orangutans display remarkable cognitive skills. In the wild, a mature, experienced orangutan will have a seasonally adjusted map of their area committed to memory to use as a guide to specific trees that should be fruiting at various times.

Orangutans are adept at puzzles, situations, or challenges that involve recognition and matching of objects including people , sequencing, or memorization. They also are known for their use of simple tools. Most people are familiar with studies that show chimpanzees using tools such as sticks to find termites for food. Recent studies have also shown that orangutans occasionally use tools when foraging for food. When working with the orangutans, the keepers use positive reinforcement to reinforce completed tasks i.

The orangutans at Zoo Atlanta currently use touch-screen computer monitors to participate voluntarily in cognitive research. Keepers work with orangutans in a protected contact environment meaning we never share the same space at the same time. Orangutans are playful, gentle apes, but they are very strong and could unintentionally injure a human. They usually build and sleep in a fresh nest each night, but they will sometimes re-enter or rebuild an older nest.

They will also sometimes nap in a less carefully constructed day nest. The median life expectancy for male Bornean orangutans is about 27 years and for male Sumatran orangutans is about 25 years.

The median life expectancy for female Sumatran orangutans is about 32 years. There is not enough available data on the life expectancy of female Bornean orangutans. The risk of extinction for the critically endangered Bornean orangutan is very high. Their population levels have dropped more than 50 percent over the past 60 years, and their habitat has declined by over 80 percent in the past 20 years.

The total population of wild Bornean orangutans is estimated to be approximately 70,, individuals. On Sumatra, the orangutan population is approximately 13, individuals. The Tapanuli orangutan populations is approximately individuals. The inaccessibility of much of their range, poor visibility in dense forests and the nature of the animals makes it difficult to survey with precision. Sumatran orangutans are listed among the 25 most endangered primates in the world and Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans are in imminent danger of going extinct.

Population numbers of Sumatran orangutans have declined over 80 percent in the past 75 years, and it is projected that this decline will continue. Loss of habitat is a major threat to orangutans, with many living outside of protected areas and, as a result, at greater risk of losing their habitat to logging and land clearings.

One of the most serious threats to orangutan viability is the unsustainable practice of timber extraction in Indonesia and Malaysia. Habitat destruction and the subsequent degradation, either from commercial timber harvesting or conversion of land to agriculture particularly palm oil , poses a very serious threat to these arboreal apes.

Moreover, the illegal pet trade is booming in Southeast Asia and infant orangutans are very popular pets. The low density, small population size and increasing pressure on their habitat, coupled with certain factors of orangutan behavioral ecology including diet, low reproductive rates, slow maturation and the longest inter-birth interval of any land-based mammal, make the orangutan extremely vulnerable to extinction in the near future if threats are not minimized. Another significant threat to orangutan survival is hunting for meat and capture of wild orangutans for sale into the pet trade.

This practice is closely tied to what is called swidden agriculture: as locals burn fires to clear forested areas, orangutans within those areas flee from the conflagration and are captured for meat or sale. International guidelines and laws protect orangutans. There are also national laws and programs to protect orangutans. Unfortunately, compliance and enforcement remain problematic. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Ape Taxon Advisory Group AZA Ape TAG has supported conservation initiatives such as anti-poaching patrols and law enforcement, additional research and support from zoos, improved management of protected areas and support of sanctuaries, and increased community involvement to help protect apes.

Recognizing the growing threat of unsustainably grown palm oil, in early , the Association of Zoos and Aquariums AZA assembled a multi-institutional task force to examine issues related to palm oil production and to develop an AZA position statement.

In September , the board of the AZA adopted an official position on palm oil. After adopting this position, the AZA then joined the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil RSPO in order to represent the views of its member institutions with key stakeholder in the palm oil industry and to advocate for environmentally sustainable production.

The orangutans are highly social but semi-solitary in the wild, so they live in small, flexible social groups at the Zoo. The two males, Kiko and Kyle, are not housed together, but the females have the flexibility to choose which group to join.

The older orangutans at the Zoo are hybrids of Bornean Pongo pygmaeus and Sumatran Pongo abelii orangutans—they have one Bornean parent and one Sumatran parent. Orangutans are managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan SSP , which seeks to maintain a genetically diverse, and healthy population of both Bornean and Sumatran orangutans.

Kiko is an adult male hybrid orangutan. Weighing in at pounds, he is easily recognizable by his large cheekpads and long hair. Kyle is an adult male Bornean orangutan. Kyle is bold, playful and seeks attention from his keepers and the other orangutans. Lucy is an adult female hybrid orangutan. She is the only orangutan that chooses not to travel the O-Line.

Lucy was born at the Zoo in Bonnie is an adult female hybrid orangutan. Bonnie travels the O-Line frequently, but unlike most of the other orangutans, she usually does not choose to quickly cross from one end to the other, but instead likes to sit on top of one of the towers and watch the crowds down below. She has had one offspring, Kiko. Iris is an adult female hybrid orangutan. She is the star of several cognitive research programs and enjoys participating in daily research demonstrations at Think Tank.

Batang is an adult female Bornean orangutan. Batang tends to be very social; she enjoys spending a few days with some of the orangutans, then switches groups, spending a few days with the other orangutans.

Redd is the first Bornean orangutan born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in 25 years. He was born Sept. Skip to main content. Entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. All visitors ages 2 and older are required to wear a mask in all indoor spaces at the Zoo, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas.

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