Australasian Orangutan Population

[Zoofan15]

Update on Madju's newborn daughter at Busch Gardens, Florida, from socials. Mother Luna and her baby have been reunited and are bonding well!

(1) Facebook

Speaking of Madju, I thought people would be interested to see a photo of him as a fully flanged male. This photo was shared in November 2022 to celebrate his 17th birthday:


Photo credit to Emily Cassell; shared via the Orangutan SSP Facebook page.

I think Madju has a striking resemblance to his mother, Melur. For now, Bahmi looks a lot like a young Madju, so it’ll be interesting to see if he similarly takes after his mother.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

Speaking of Madju, I thought people would be interested to see a photo of him as a fully flanged male. This photo was shared in November 2022 to celebrate his 17th birthday:

View attachment 699314
Photo credit to Emily Cassell; shared via the Orangutan SSP Facebook page.

I think Madju has a striking resemblance to his mother, Melur. For now, Bahmi looks a lot like a young Madju, so it’ll be interesting to see if he similarly takes after his mother.

Thank you for this! Madju certainly has a strong resemblance to both his parents, he has Melur's sweet facial expression but his eyes seem very like Charlie's. Bahmi certainly does resemble a young Madju, although his eyes seem larger than the juvenile Madju's. Bahmi also appears to resemble Melur's much younger half-brothers, Kecil of Brookfield Zoo and Wakil of Toledo Zoo. It will be interesting to see who Madju's daughter will grow to resemble, whether she will take more after her father's or her mother's family!

 

[Zoofan15]

I will have to see if I can find that photo! I do remember Indra used to sit by the window a lot, with her infant who I think must have been Isim. Staff members have told me that Indra used to be interested in what people had in their bags or were carrying, similar to Amber of Louisville Zoo.

I read an article once by someone who visited in 1990 and saw Indra with her infant, Intan. There was a (human) mother with her baby sitting by the window and the observer commented Indra was fascinated by them. Indra had a habit of people watching and was interactive throughout her time at Auckland, so I don’t doubt she sat at the window with Isim too.

It’s interesting to note that considering Indra was 2 years and 11 months upon import, her experience watching mothers with infants was limited. Dara, who was three years older, would have had more time to observe maternal care; but it was Indra who gave birth first, delivering Intan in March 1989 (two months before Dara have birth to Datuk in May 1989). Fortunately, Indra took to motherhood well. Though she was noted to be a stricter mother than Melur; it’s clear Isim enjoyed a long childhood, being her second and ultimately last offspring.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

I read an article once by someone who visited in 1990 and saw Indra with her infant, Intan. There was a (human) mother with her baby sitting by the window and the observer commented Indra was fascinated by them. Indra had a habit of people watching and was interactive throughout her time at Auckland, so I don’t doubt she sat at the window with Isim too.

It’s interesting to note that considering Indra was 2 years and 11 months upon import, her experience watching mothers with infants was limited. Dara, who was three years older, would have had more time to observe maternal care; but it was Indra who gave birth first, delivering Intan in March 1989 (two months before Dara have birth to Datuk in May 1989). Fortunately, Indra took to motherhood well. Though she was noted to be a stricter mother than Melur; it’s clear Isim enjoyed a long childhood, being her second and ultimately last offspring.

Thanks for this interesting part of our orangutans' history! And although our Melur is a more lenient mother than Indra was, and allows Bahmi substantial freedom to explore, I have occasionally seen her put her foot down with him, so to speak! Bahmi will often tease Daya or Charlie, a favourite tactic being to climb or swing above them and slap them on the top of their heads, or sneak up behind them, often under the cover of one of the green leaf-shaped blankets and pull their hair. Melur won't tolerate this behaviour and will firmly but gently put up her hand to stop Bahmi when he tries this with her. I have also witnessed her growling at him when he tried to follow Daya across from one of the aerial pathways towers to another; at first, I thought the growl was intended for Charlie, but when Bahmi stopped in his tracks and headed back towards Melur, it became obvious that it wasn't the case!

Speaking of Melur, I was at the zoo this past Saturday (taking advantage of the wet weather to see the orangutans up by the window for most of the day ) and while Bahmi was playing and showing off, she amused herself by watching a group of small children and even pulling faces at them from time to time! It seems like she's the one Bahmi gets his cheeky streak from!

 

[Zoofan15]

Thanks for this interesting part of our orangutans' history! And although our Melur is a more lenient mother than Indra was, and allows Bahmi substantial freedom to explore, I have occasionally seen her put her foot down with him, so to speak! Bahmi will often tease Daya or Charlie, a favourite tactic being to climb or swing above them and slap them on the top of their heads, or sneak up behind them, often under the cover of one of the green leaf-shaped blankets and pull their hair. Melur won't tolerate this behaviour and will firmly but gently put up her hand to stop Bahmi when he tries this with her. I have also witnessed her growling at him when he tried to follow Daya across from one of the aerial pathways towers to another; at first, I thought the growl was intended for Charlie, but when Bahmi stopped in his tracks and headed back towards Melur, it became obvious that it wasn't the case!

Speaking of Melur, I was at the zoo this past Saturday (taking advantage of the wet weather to see the orangutans up by the window for most of the day ) and while Bahmi was playing and showing off, she amused herself by watching a group of small children and even pulling faces at them from time to time! It seems like she's the one Bahmi gets his cheeky streak from!

While Melur doesn’t necessarily seek people out, she’s certainly not phased by them either. That could be attributed to her years at Hong Kong Zoo, where she would have a constant stream of people coming past the exhibit. She left as a seven year old in 1995 to go to Taronga Zoo.

Unlike Indra, Intan was noted to be very private. Auckland’s old exhibit certainly afforded the orangutans space to get away from the public, even if it was up on the towers under a sack, which were a favourite of several of the orangutans. It was by no means a bad exhibit for its day, but criticised for its lack of arboreal climbing opportunities; and its clear the current exhibit encourages far more activity across all individuals.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

While Melur doesn’t necessarily seek people out, she’s certainly not phased by them either. That could be attributed to her years at Hong Kong Zoo, where she would have a constant stream of people coming past the exhibit. She left as a seven year old in 1995 to go to Taronga Zoo.

Unlike Indra, Intan was noted to be very private. Auckland’s old exhibit certainly afforded the orangutans space to get away from the public, even if it was up on the towers under a sack, which were a favourite of several of the orangutans. It was by no means a bad exhibit for its day, but criticised for its lack of arboreal climbing opportunities; and its clear the current exhibit encourages far more activity across all individuals.

Very true. It's quite interesting how the orangutans behave vs the other great apes I've seen in person (Hamilton chimpanzees and Orana gorillas). These are only my observations of particular great apes and I'm not claiming it's a general behavioural trait or anything.

Melur doesn't necessarily seek out people, but from what I've seen she does occasionally show a strong interest in small children. Charlie appears more aloof, but I sometimes see him subtly "people-watching". Bahmi is full of youthful curiosity and will often pay attention to visitors, especially children, when the orangutans are at the window, and Daya, also being on the youthful and curious side, will occasionally observe the humans who are watching her.

Funnily enough, the more social chimps are social - with other chimps. Hamilton's troop, when I've been there, seem to pay little to no attention to the visitors. The outlier in that case was the late Sally, due to her having been human-raised.

Orana's gorillas were very, very interested in what visitors were up to when I visited them! Fataki in particular - I wonder if it was a "dominant silverback" kind of thing combined with natural curiosity? I remember being quite startled when I sat down on a ledge near the viewing window for a rest, and Fataki came right up and stared directly at me!

 

[Zoofan15]

Very true. It's quite interesting how the orangutans behave vs the other great apes I've seen in person (Hamilton chimpanzees and Orana gorillas). These are only my observations of particular great apes and I'm not claiming it's a general behavioural trait or anything.

Melur doesn't necessarily seek out people, but from what I've seen she does occasionally show a strong interest in small children. Charlie appears more aloof, but I sometimes see him subtly "people-watching". Bahmi is full of youthful curiosity and will often pay attention to visitors, especially children, when the orangutans are at the window, and Daya, also being on the youthful and curious side, will occasionally observe the humans who are watching her.

Funnily enough, the more social chimps are social - with other chimps. Hamilton's troop, when I've been there, seem to pay little to no attention to the visitors. The outlier in that case was the late Sally, due to her having been human-raised.

Orana's gorillas were very, very interested in what visitors were up to when I visited them! Fataki in particular - I wonder if it was a "dominant silverback" kind of thing combined with natural curiosity? I remember being quite startled when I sat down on a ledge near the viewing window for a rest, and Fataki came right up and stared directly at me!

Melur has been described by keepers as ‘pre-occupied’ in regards to her interactions with keepers. This was when Madju was a juvenile and she was more focussed on him than engaging with visitors. I would imagine Daya, who is a nulliparous adolescent is comparatively more engaged with staff and visitors alike. Charlie is food motivated, which governs his interactions. Unless the visitors are feeding him (which of course they shouldn’t be), he doesn’t give them the time of day.

I’d agree with your assessment of silverback gorillas. They show a much greater awareness of the public which is related to their role of protecting the troop for a threat (real or perceived). Unfortunately this means they’re easy to provoke, which rewards antagonists with a reaction e.g. the gorilla charging the glass. Female gorillas can show the same awareness. Kriba at Taronga was noted to assist Kibabu in patrolling the exhibit at times of perceived threat, though I imagine in most/all cases he initiatiated this rather than her acting independently. It stands to reason a respected silverback in charge of the troop assumes this role, which would only fall to females if the male is inadequate.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

I visited the Auckland Zoo orangutans on Saturday, and witnessed some unusual behaviours, which I thought I'd mention here.

For most of the day, the orangutans were off display due to habitat maintenance - I inquired about this and was informed the orangutans were fine, it was just the habitat and that they may be out later in the day. Around 2pm the orangutans were allowed out, but there was a barrier by the viewing window, which appeared to have been having some repairs made, namely new rubber sealant being put into window gaps. However, the orangutans were taking sticks and digging this substance out of the gaps, possibly also eating it but I am unsure. All four orangutans were doing this, with Charlie and Daya appearing to be the most persistent.

I also witnessed Charlie slapping Daya when she got in his way when engaged in this tool-use activity and was surprised to see this. I've never seen Charlie strike Melur - although I have seen her strike him when she's rebuffing his advances, and Charlie seems to not even react much when Melur outright snatches food from him - or Bahmi, who he's always gentle and patient with due to Bahmi's status as an infant. Perhaps Charlie still views Daya as an older juvenile rather than a near-adult female, but I'm not clear on that.

 

[Zoofan15]

I visited the Auckland Zoo orangutans on Saturday, and witnessed some unusual behaviours, which I thought I'd mention here.

For most of the day, the orangutans were off display due to habitat maintenance - I inquired about this and was informed the orangutans were fine, it was just the habitat and that they may be out later in the day. Around 2pm the orangutans were allowed out, but there was a barrier by the viewing window, which appeared to have been having some repairs made, namely new rubber sealant being put into window gaps. However, the orangutans were taking sticks and digging this substance out of the gaps, possibly also eating it but I am unsure. All four orangutans were doing this, with Charlie and Daya appearing to be the most persistent.

I also witnessed Charlie slapping Daya when she got in his way when engaged in this tool-use activity and was surprised to see this. I've never seen Charlie strike Melur - although I have seen her strike him when she's rebuffing his advances, and Charlie seems to not even react much when Melur outright snatches food from him - or Bahmi, who he's always gentle and patient with due to Bahmi's status as an infant. Perhaps Charlie still views Daya as an older juvenile rather than a near-adult female, but I'm not clear on that.

It was noted during a reproductive study of Perth Zoo’s orangutans that the pairs exhibited avoidance behaviour outside of the fertile period, which mirrors their solitary wild status. When Daya is cycling, I’d anticipate Charlie’s interest in her will be heightened; but otherwise she may not be his focus (especially if Melur is cycling, which she will be soon). Charlie had a close bond with Gangsa; but considering they’re primarily a solitary species, his tolerance of the females would have its limits.

In Daya’s case specifically, I’d say she’s still learning the culture of the colony. Melur has lived with Charlie since 2001 and would have a good idea of his limits; Daya has been with him for less than a year and is still an adolescent herself. Possibly she was ignoring cues to respect his personal space. He’s highly food motivated, so may not have appreciated her intrusion.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

It was noted during a reproductive study of Perth Zoo’s orangutans that the pairs exhibited avoidance behaviour outside of the fertile period, which mirrors their solitary wild status. When Daya is cycling, I’d anticipate Charlie’s interest in her will be heightened; but otherwise she may not be his focus (especially if Melur is cycling, which she will be soon). Charlie had a close bond with Gangsa; but considering they’re primarily a solitary species, his tolerance of the females would have its limits.

In Daya’s case specifically, I’d say she’s still learning the culture of the colony. Melur has lived with Charlie since 2001 and would have a good idea of his limits; Daya has been with him for less than a year and is still an adolescent herself. Possibly she was ignoring cues to respect his personal space. He’s highly food motivated, so may not have appreciated her intrusion.

Very true. Daya would indeed still be learning the colony's ways and certainly wasn't respecting Charlie's personal space. And as she's a newcomer, perhaps Charlie has less tolerance for this behaviour from her than he would if it came from Melur. And I did wonder if Charlie's food motivation had something to do with his behaviour, not only towards Daya but the fact that he persisted the longest at the window. Melur stopped after a while and went looking for something tastier to eat, and Bahmi seemed to be engaging with the window more as a play activity and his much shorter attention span was soon focused elsewhere.

Daya is, as far as I know, still on contraception so she definitely wouldn't be cycling, which would explain Charlie's ongoing disinterest in her (although staff have occasionally observed them sitting together while Melur is preoccupied with Bahmi or with food).

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

From socials:

Busch Gardens, Florida, are now taking votes to name their new female baby Bornean orangutan (she is the daughter of Madju who was born at Auckland Zoo, New Zealand).

Baby Orangutan needs a name, and we want... - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Facebook

Although I'm currently unable to access the voting form (will try again later) I believe the three choices offered by zoo staff for a name are Juno, Stella and Miri.

 

[Zoofan15]

From socials:

Busch Gardens, Florida, are now taking votes to name their new female baby Bornean orangutan (she is the daughter of Madju who was born at Auckland Zoo, New Zealand.

Baby Orangutan needs a name, and we want... - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Facebook

Although I'm currently unable to access the voting form (will try again later) I believe the three choices offered by zoo staff for a name are Juno, Stella and Miri.

In the absence of an L name, I guess my vote would be for Miri.

As much as I like Bahmi’s name (and the reference to Wanita), I was disappointed to see Auckland’s decades old tradition of naming apes with their mother’s initial come to an end.

Lucy - Lucifer and Luka
Indra - Intan and Isim
Dara - Datuk and Darli
Melur - Madju and Bahmi
Iuri - Ipoh, Iebe, Irian, Iberani and Iwani

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

In the absence of an L name, I guess my vote would be for Miri.

As much as I like Bahmi’s name (and the reference to Wanita), I was disappointed to see Auckland’s decades old tradition of naming apes with their mother’s initial come to an end.

Lucy - Lucifer and Luka
Indra - Intan and Isim
Dara - Datuk and Darli
Melur - Madju and Bahmi
Iuri - Ipoh, Iebe, Irian, Iberani and Iwani

I think the tradition of naming baby apes based on the mother's initial was started by Jane Goodall and is a lovely tradition - some zoos still seem to be keeping it up, for example Monarto Zoo with their recent young chimps, Hope, Zola and Happy. I had hoped it would continue with our orangutans although I too do love Bahmi's name.

Personally, my pick for Madju's child would have been something Indonesian. Bulan (moon) or Bintang (star) since the zoo want to go with a celestial theme for the baby's name. Or, if there was to be an L name, I'd have liked something like Lestari (everlasting).

 

[Zoofan15]

I think the tradition of naming baby apes based on the mother's initial was started by Jane Goodall and is a lovely tradition - some zoos still seem to be keeping it up, for example Monarto Zoo with their recent young chimps, Hope, Zola and Happy. I had hoped it would continue with our orangutans although I too do love Bahmi's name.

Personally, my pick for Madju's child would have been something Indonesian. Bulan (moon) or Bintang (star) since the zoo want to go with a celestial theme for the baby's name. Or, if there was to be an L name, I'd have liked something like Lestari (everlasting).

I believe it did start with Jane Goodall, as she began her field research in July 1960 (often quoted by Taronga Zoo with regards to their now deceased chimpanzee Spitter being born the same month/year). The tradition began at Taronga Zoo with their apes in the 1970’s and soon spread to other zoos. Auckland Zoo extended it to many other species including ungulates, otters etc.

I should mention that the mother of Suzie (1964) and Sally (1970) was named Siss. I don’t know whether this was a coincidence (S names being popular around this time like A names for girls are popular today); or the earliest known example of this applied to apes in Australasia.

Darli’s name was particularly fitting as it also referenced Charlie. She was his first offspring.

 

[Zoofan15]

I think the tradition of naming baby apes based on the mother's initial was started by Jane Goodall and is a lovely tradition - some zoos still seem to be keeping it up, for example Monarto Zoo with their recent young chimps, Hope, Zola and Happy. I had hoped it would continue with our orangutans although I too do love Bahmi's name.

On the subject of these chimpanzees, the region has had at least three chimpanzees named by Jane Goodall:

1.0 Kitwe (2014) Sam x Keza - Wellington
0.1 Hope (2019) Tsotsi x Hannah - Monarto
1.0 Happy (2022) Unknown x Hannah - Monarto

I say at least because it wouldn’t surprise me to learn Jane Goodall had named one of the Taronga chimps at some point in their history.

At a minimum, Taronga and Wellington each had a chimpanzee named Gombe (born 1988 and 1993 respectively), which was likely a reference to Jane Goodall’s renowned research in Gombe. In Taronga’s case it represented a rare departure from their naming tradition given Gombe’s mother was Spitter. If they hadn’t exported Gemini (the region’s only surviving twin) to Singapore, they could have had a G family!

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

From socials:

The female baby Bornean orangutan born at Busch Gardens, Florida, born to mother Luna-Bella and father Madju (born at Auckland Zoo, NZ, to Charlie and Melur) has been named Stella after over 27,000 votes were counted.

Welcome, baby Stella! - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Facebook

 

[Zoofan15]

From socials:

The female baby Bornean orangutan born at Busch Gardens, Florida, born to mother Luna-Bella and father Madju (born at Auckland Zoo, NZ, to Charlie and Melur) has been named Stella after over 27,000 votes were counted.

Welcome, baby Stella! - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Facebook

It’s nice to see Charlie and Melur’s new granddaughter thriving. I hope there’s time for them to have at least one more offspring themselves at Auckland Zoo, though in the meantime I’d expect to hear news of a pregnancy from Daya in the next year or so. Charlie was the second most genetically valuable male of his species in captivity last I heard.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

It’s nice to see Charlie and Melur’s new granddaughter thriving. I hope there’s time for them to have at least one more offspring themselves at Auckland Zoo, though in the meantime I’d expect to hear news of a pregnancy from Daya in the next year or so. Charlie was the second most genetically valuable male of his species in captivity last I heard.

I'm glad to see that this baby is thriving, too - not only is she a beautiful and healthy baby, but as you've mentioned, she's one of the most genetically valuable Bornean orangutan infants alive today, especially as a female in Charlie's line. Even though her name is not an Indonesian or Malay one, it's a beautiful name and goes very well with her mother's.

I too hope to see a pregnancy from Daya before too long, although from what I've seen on recent zoo visits, Charlie still vastly prefers Melur's company and tends to treat Daya as a mere youngster. Although keepers, apparently, have seen some promising interactions between Charlie and Daya, so there is hope for them. The one who seems to have forged the strongest bond with Daya is, of course, little Bahmi. When I visited Auckland Zoo yesterday, Melur was grooming Daya for a while by the window and Bahmi was copying his mother's behaviour, gently stroking his fingers through Daya's hair, and Daya was quietly allowing this. I think, if there is an intention to retain Bahmi as breeding male when Charlie passes, there is a strong likelihood of Bahmi x Daya offspring in the future, if a long-term bond like the one between Charlie and Melur is forged.

 

[Zoofan15]

I'm glad to see that this baby is thriving, too - not only is she a beautiful and healthy baby, but as you've mentioned, she's one of the most genetically valuable Bornean orangutan infants alive today, especially as a female in Charlie's line. Even though her name is not an Indonesian or Malay one, it's a beautiful name and goes very well with her mother's.

I too hope to see a pregnancy from Daya before too long, although from what I've seen on recent zoo visits, Charlie still vastly prefers Melur's company and tends to treat Daya as a mere youngster. Although keepers, apparently, have seen some promising interactions between Charlie and Daya, so there is hope for them. The one who seems to have forged the strongest bond with Daya is, of course, little Bahmi. When I visited Auckland Zoo yesterday, Melur was grooming Daya for a while by the window and Bahmi was copying his mother's behaviour, gently stroking his fingers through Daya's hair, and Daya was quietly allowing this. I think, if there is an intention to retain Bahmi as breeding male when Charlie passes, there is a strong likelihood of Bahmi x Daya offspring in the future, if a long-term bond like the one between Charlie and Melur is forged.

It sounds like Melur (1988) and Daya (2012) have forged a really nice bond, which is rare amongst unrelated adult female orangutans. Dara (1977) and Indra (1980) reportedly remained close into adulthood; and Indra was close to her daughter Intan (1989); but Wanita (1979) and Gangsa (1989) were less sociable. Wanita and Melur tolerated each other, but I’ve heard nothing to suggest they were close (despite Wanita’s play-based relationship she developed with Madju).

With the above in mind, the best way for the colony to expand would be for Melur and Daya to each produce a daughter. This would give them the best possible chance of forming a cohesive grouping of four females. Their daughters likely wouldn’t be considered for breeding until 12-15 years, so while waiting for them to mature, Bahmi could remain on site and sire additional offspring to Daya. Once the daughters were of reproductive age, a new male could be imported.

I really hope long term, another holder for Bornean orangutan arises within the region; but by main hope was Taronga, who have now confirmed Indian rhinoceros will be replacing their elephants.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

It sounds like Melur (1988) and Daya (2012) have forged a really nice bond, which is rare amongst unrelated adult female orangutans. Dara (1977) and Indra (1980) reportedly remained close into adulthood; and Indra was close to her daughter Intan (1989); but Wanita (1979) and Gangsa (1989) were less sociable. Wanita and Melur tolerated each other, but I’ve heard nothing to suggest they were close (despite Wanita’s play-based relationship she developed with Madju).

With the above in mind, the best way for the colony to expand would be for Melur and Daya to each produce a daughter. This would give them the best possible chance of forming a cohesive grouping of four females. Their daughters likely wouldn’t be considered for breeding until 12-15 years, so while waiting for them to mature, Bahmi could remain on site and sire additional offspring to Daya. Once the daughters were of reproductive age, a new male could be imported.

I really hope long term, another holder for Bornean orangutan arises within the region; but by main hope was Taronga, who have now confirmed Indian rhinoceros will be replacing their elephants.

There does seem to be a nice bond forming between Melur and Daya. Possibly it's because of Daya's gentle nature and because she tends to respect Melur's space and acknowledges Melur as the dominant female - Wanita and Gangsa were more dominant personalities and from what I've heard, Melur tended to defer to Wanita and came into conflict on occasion with her half-sister, Gangsa.

I'd personally love to see Bahmi retained as breeding male for Auckland Zoo, and I think many of the primate keepers would love to see this, too, from what I've heard. I am wondering, though, if perhaps an Australian zoo doesn't become a second holder of Bornean orangutans, if Orana Park is a future possibility? I think that Orana's original plan was to house Sumatran orangutans in one half of the Great Ape Centre, opposite their bachelor gorillas, but that never panned out. That way, Australia could be the regional holder for Sumatrans and New Zealand for the Bornean species.