Are there plans to eventually mix the siamangs and orangutans once again or are they in separate enclosures now? Are the other gibbon species still present?
@pachyderm pro I won't say they may not ever be mixed, but at the current time, no. I talked with a keeper about this for a bit. When the siamangs were up top, they had an offspring and it was so small they feared it would be able to fit through the netting, so they had to pull them from the upper exhibits, hence why they moved to the mainly glass exhibit in Gorilla Valley. The new exhibit has smaller gaps in the netting, but also that youngster is now a couple years old.
As far as mixing, the zoo is letting their 2.3 orangutans get used to the spaces they are currently in with groups of 0.2 in upper main, 1.0 in upper side, and 1.1 in the indoor space. The new male that is in the upper habitat is eventually supposed to group with the 0.2 mother/daughter pair, but is new to the zoo. They are taking their time with the two males in separate holding spaces for the upper and lower habitats for obvious reasons.
The zoo does currently have 4 other species of gibbon in the collection: Lar, Mueller's, Agile, and Buff Cheeked. Of the latter two, which were occasionally on exhibit, they are down to one of each. The parents of the Agile Gibbon passed away recently leaving the one Agile by itself, so they brought in a Buff Cheeked to keep her company. They still reside in Gorilla Valley and don't have their own dedicated space, so they may be really hit or miss until they pass, or space frees up in the Lied Jungle.
@MGolka Weren’t the Agile Gibbons mixed with the Orangutans for many years? I wouldn’t be to surprised if they try to move the remaining Gibbons back into Orangutan Forest to free up space in Gorilla Valley.
@Dhole dude They we’re but there is only one left and that single Agile Gibbon is now paired with a Buff Cheeked Gibbon that may not have been mixed before. Those two gibbons split time with the Angolan Colobus and now it appears some excess Black Handed Spider Monkeys.
