I know there are hundreds of photographs of the animals at Chester already, however I wanted to share some of my good ones from today and would be grateful for any feedback :).
Does the hybridisation damage the Orangs in any way, or does it not matter as much in 'area-specific subspecies?' Also, if tests were done on every captive Orang to find out which subspecies they were hybrids of, would it be possible to match individuals in an attempt to breed a 'pure' Bornean Orang subspecies (like Edinburgh are doing with their W. African Chimps and like many zoos do with Rothschild Giraffes)?
Interesting questions and I can't answer them well I'm afraid.
I'm sure hyrbidising different Bornean Orangutan subspecies won't harm them. Hybrids of Bornean/Sumatran Orangutan have always been very robust and fully fertile(if they have been allowed to breed). Rajang at Colchester(born Chester) is a very fit and healthy male still despite his age.
I believe the different subspecies of Bornean Orangutan were only officially/scientifically recognised quite recently, long after Orangutans had been breeding regularly in Zoos. The Zoo field probably has not caught up yet and I do not know of any plans to try and 'purify' the whole of the captive stock which I think would be an almost impossible task. But there may be plans to restrict breeding along these lines in the future- I just don't know.
Thanks for the answers . I would have thought now there are restrictions on breeding between Sumatran and Bornean (even if the hybrids are healthy, I would assume that zoos want to try and keep pure between these two). Out of interest, is Rajang allowed to breed, or do you know of anywhere that still breeds between the two (Bornean/Sumatran)?
Rajang has never been allowed to breed as far I can remember, nor, I think, has he ever shown an inclination to (?) He has had at least one female companion, Djambe, but no offspring.
Rajang has never been allowed to breed as far I can remember, nor, I think, has he ever shown an inclination to (?) He has had at least one female companion, Djambe, but no offspring.
Rajang isnt allowed to breed and you are correct that he has never seemed interested in doing so either! In the past he has had 2 (?) female 'companions' Annie and Djambe.
I'm not so sure about being "allowed" to breed (inclination aside) ..... am pretty sure that Rajang had had a vasectomy to prevent him from breeding anyway.
Rajang was vasectomised a long time ago to prevent any unwanted breeding.
Hybrid Bornean/Sumatran Orangutans were bred at many zoos during the 1960/70's era when many zoos were unaware what subspecies they had(this was before they were regarded as two different species) In the UK hybrids were born at Twycross, Dudley and Jersey but there were many more in Europe and the USA too. (Some were accidental, others deliberate because the subpecies weren't recognised). Later zoos recognised the error of this and animals were paired according to their proper species, while hybrids were sent to zoos where they wouldn't be bred from, effectively phasing them out(longterm) of the zoo population. Rajang is the only one in the UK but there are still a number elsewhere.
Interesting topic. Does anyone know if the Orangs at Berlin Zoo are hybrids? I specifically ask Berlin, as I've photographed them there, and wasn't sure.
Interesting topic. Does anyone know if the Orangs at Berlin Zoo are hybrids? I specifically ask Berlin, as I've photographed them there, and wasn't sure.
