Chester Zoo Rajang the Orangutan

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Pertinax

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Rajang was the first orangutan to be born and successfully reared at Chester, back in 1968. Chester originally had a 'group' of five or possibly more orangs, including two males 'Jimmy' and 'Paul' who outlived all the females by many years. Rajang's mother 'Josephine' wasn't interested in him so he was raised by the-then curator Bill Timmis and his wife. Later he was kept with a young Chimpanzee for company, before the zoo aquired more young orangutans. In those days little importance was given to the subspecies(or species) of Orangutans but later it was realised that both males(his father was believed to be 'Jimmy') were Sumatran, while the mother was Bornean, making him a 'hybrid'.(His blood may have been karyotyped in order to prove this) 'Rajang' was the only crossbred orangutan at the zoo and so wasn't of any value for the breeding programme.

In 1980(or thereabouts) he went to Colchester Zoo, where he still lives today. He has had two partners there, first a hybrid 'Annie'(from USA) and since her death, a Sumatran female 'Djambe (came from Twycross). 'Rajang' was vasectomised to prevent him producing any further hybrid offspring. He is now the only crossbred Orangutan in the UK, but is also the oldest male too. New accomodation for Colchester's orangutans is due to open in 2008.
 
How do you know all this ? and what were the other orangutans living at chester zoo at the time

was a orangutan called bella and rammona at the zoo at that time ?
 
orang09 said:
How do you know all this ? and what were the other orangutans living at chester zoo at the time

was a orangutan called bella and rammona at the zoo at that time ?
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When Rajang was born, I think the only Orangs there were the female Josephine(Bornean) and the two males Jimmy and Paul(both Sumatran)

Later they imported more Bornean babies from the wild. Martha(still there) and Kimbu(who died later). Also several other males- Barry, David and Denis and later on another female, Lola, came from Colchester Zoo. I think Martha and Lola are the mothers of the other Borneans born since at Chester. male Anak was sent from London an died at Chester.
I can't remember where Bella came from-probably born there.
They also aquired a pair of zoo-born Sumatrans- Oscar(born at Bristol) and Ramona(born E.Berlin) These two were the parents of Emma and Subis. They were sent abroad but died later on. Puloh, the current male, came from Perth, Australia.
 
Bella was born on 5th October 1980. Her parents were Dennis and Lola. She was named after former ape keeper Bella Neate, who changed careers to become the zoos education officer.

All the orangs were karotyped in 1978.

Ramona arrived from East Berlin in exchange for a female Meyer's sickle-billed bird of paradise. She was obtained as a Bornean Orang Utan, but turned out to be Sumatran.
 
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What does Karotyped mean?

So let me understand this. Chester sent a meyer's sickle billed BOP, to east Berlin zoo. Then East Berlin sent them an Orang in return. Seems a bit of an unfair swap. Haven't heard of many swaps like that before.
 
thank you for the info and now emma and subis have had children jambi and padang who have moved i think - is this true - and went on again to breed utara and budi are they pregant agian and are they having more sumartens being brought to the collection !
 
Karotyped is a medical test which looks at the cell structure. It is a way of determining which type of Orang Utan someone has. The two species have different cell structures. It has probably been superceded by DNA tersting.

In 1971 a bird of paradise may have been worth as much as an orang utan. Berlin had an odd male sickle-bill and Chester probably wanted an orang.

In 1976 Chester obtained all sorts of Australian animals in exchange for 2 chimps.
 
Chimpanzees Lollipop and Jamie were sent to Perth Zoo in July 1976. Lollipop was born in 1973 and Jamie in 1974

from Perth to Chester
0.4 Red Kangaroo
2.2 Western Grey Kangaroo
2.2 Agile Wallaby

1.1 White-tailed Black Cockatoo
1.1 Western Slender-billed Cockatoo
2.2 Roseate Cockatoo

4 Central Blue-tongued Skink
6 Shingleback Skink
4 Eastern Water Dragon
1 Leopard Tortoise
1 Royal Python
2 Knight Anoles
 
The only species the zoo still has are the Western grey kangaroos. I don't think that they have white tailed black cockatoos anymore.......
 
bongorob said:
Bella was born on 5th October 1980. Her parents were Dennis and Lola. She was named after former ape keeper Bella Neate, who changed careers to become the zoos education officer.

All the orangs were karotyped in 1978.

Ramona arrived from East Berlin in exchange for a female Meyer's sickle-billed bird of paradise. She was obtained as a Bornean Orang Utan, but turned out to be Sumatran.
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When Lola first arrived it was thought she was Sumatran- she was certainly very light-coloured for a Bornean. However Karotyping proved she was Bornean. Later she was sent to Dublin zoo with her Chester born son Jorong. She later died at Dublin but Jorong is still there and currently the only male in the Dublin group.

Karotyping shows up the difference in the chromosone structure between Bornean and Sumatran orangs. Just one pair (i think) of chromosones is differently shaped in the two species. But as Bongorob said, this technique has probably been superseded now.

The young female Sumatran was sent to Budapest (or Bucharest). I think the juvenile male(padang?) is still at Chester. Emma and SUbis aren't likely to produce more offspring after their current babies for several years to come. I can't imagine them adding any more unrelated Sumatran orangs to the existing group.
 
Bongorob- is Bella still alive at Chester ? If so the three Bornean females must be; Martha, Sarikei and Bella. Plus the new male Tuan.
 
Bella was sent to Holland, I don't know when. She has since died. So the female Borneans are Leia, Martha and Sarikei. (As far as I can tell). Pundu left in 2005, I don't know where she is. I would think Martha is now past breeding age.
 
orangutans

so did bella breed again at dublin zoo and was she the mother of pundu , lola , jorong ? and what happend to bella son bengara ? and does anyone know where pundu the orangutan is ?????
 
okay im following you a bit but what happend to matu and did martha have other children at chester zoo due to that she had sarkeil and leia ?

Orange Hairy Ape

and this website may be of a help to you its a little out of date but it shows you the oranguatans names and bios so it worth a look !!
 
bongorob said:
Bella was sent to Holland, I don't know when. She has since died. So the female Borneans are Leia, Martha and Sarikei. (As far as I can tell). Pundu left in 2005, I don't know where she is. I would think Martha is now past breeding age.
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Sarikei and Leia are both daughters of Martha. Sarikei was fathered by Dennis, Leia probably by London's Anak- as Chester haven't had a male since him apart from Sibu- who was Martha's son also. Bella and Pundu(and Jorong) were all Lola's children.

Martha is proably the 2nd oldest orang in UK(after Bulu at Paignton, born at London in 1961.) Martha arrived at Chester as a baby in 1966, so she is about 42+ I wouldn't disregard her for breeding quite yet- she could still surprise...
 
grantsmb said:
When Rajang was born, I think the only Orangs there were the female Josephine(Bornean) and the two males Jimmy and Paul(both Sumatran)
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I was incorrect here- if Martha arrived in 1966, so did Kimbu and so both were were there before Rajang was born. They lived at first in a cage by the keeper's food kitchen in the old Monkey house. I think Kimbu may have later drowned in a watermoat accident, possibly at the back of the inside enlosure..
 
so martha also had sibu before sarkiel of after ?? who was the father then to sibu and what do you know about paignton zoo orangutans ? btw i love orangutans hence the name !
 
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