Thanks so much guys. Just thought was worth putting down what have learned from Dr Rosemary Markham's writings and interview archived on Sth Perth library. A fascinating person who did so so much for Perth Zoo, the Orangutans in particular were her passion from everything have learnt (was her doctorate focus and she was an early expert on their behaviours and the separate species. She could apparently tell them apart by looking at their hair under a microscope and told former director Dr Tom Spence that they had some hybrids in their 'collection'; so believe she was the identifier of which species Puan, Atjeh, Binte and Mawas belonged to). Believe too she was instrumental in their setup of their current exhibits too (as with their 1981 ones, though she said the public works architect had some stubborn ideas so didnt get quite the completed setup in the full facilitation she had hoped for; though not said by her with any complaints, think she was also just happy the Orangutans had better living spaces to the original row). Dr Markham had an approximately 40 year involvement with Perth Zoo (highly recommend her interview audio for listening).
(sources below again all from Dr Markham's Breeding Orangutans at Perth Zoo: Twenty Years of Appropriate Husbandry {1990} paper, including the diagram of the complex)
In (August-September) 1981 the (Perth Zoo) zoo's ''Great Ape'' exhibits complex was completed and the Orangutans (and two 1.1 Chimpanzees) moved into the five exhibits.
Interestingly Dr Markham mentions that Puteri 0.1 the oldest Perth Zoo born Orangutan was shown by keepers nurturing skills on a baby Gibbon (not sure which species) in order to teach them the mothering techniques they themselves did not receive due to the practice of removing the Orangutan babies at a young age to be hand raised by keepers like Peter & Yoka Leeflang, due to a strongyloides infection problem in the ground of the old exhibits. Apparently Puspa 0.1 her younger sister stayed with her at times in her den to watch her mothering skills and be taught the same for their own babies. I believe Puan mother raised Punya; it is said that the hand rearing stopped with babies after the new exhibits, however will have to go back and find exactly when this occured as medication treatment for the strongyloides also occurred around this time so not sure when was successful (have a good feeling one of you guys know and can tell us
):
(additionally perhaps all of the Bornean Orangutans and hybrid Orangutans stayed behind in the old exhibits, soon after over a number of short years, dates have been mentioned on here by our amigos, they went to live at zoos in India. Dr Markham was one of the team who personally went to India to decide which zoos had the best/most humane facilities of which Hyderabad Zoo and Poona Zoo were amongst the chosen).
Anywho so Aug'/Sep' 1971 the new complex opened and each individual Orangutan had their own night den where they were fed in the mornings and only mothers and infants shared dens. The daytime exhibits were on a bit of a time share thing where females would occasionally co-habitate an exhibit together (sounded like it was a fraction of the time only) and any signs of disputes between, separation for about three or four days would often dissolve signs of conflict issues between. Females would stay with males for short periods during planned breeding attempts. Heard information on here that for quite some time Mawas 0.1 was something of a surrogate aunt to 'teenage' Orangutans in the complex; and that Hsing Hsing 1.0 had a good bond with Utama 0.1 so wonder if that means they were housed together for quite lengthy periods of time? :
source:
Orangutan Exhibit Complex '' Great Apes'' at Perth Zoo opened 1981 — Postimages (diagram is from Dr Markham's 1990 paper referenced above):
From October 1st 1982 - February 18th 1983
Puteri 0.1 again co-habitated an exhibit in the new complex with (her sire)
Atjeh 1.0. After a gestation period of approximately 234 (232-238) days (avoidance between the two noted to have started on November 6th 1982): Puteri gave birth to a
female baby (Sumatran Orangutan) on June 24th 1983. Unfortunately the baby died just over a month later on July 26th 1983.
On September 23, 1983, male Sumatran Orangutan
Hsing Hsing 1.0 (born Singapore Zoo April 4th 1975) arrived at Perth Zoo. (thanks
@Zoofan15 for the dates
).
Once again
Puteri 0.1 co-habitated with
Atjeh 1.0 from May 14th 1986 - July 2nd 1986. After a gestation of 225 days starting on June 26th 1986 (avoidance behaviour began two days later on the 28th); Puteri gave birth to a female baby
Udara 0.1 on February 6th 1987. I think perhaps this was one of the earlier pregnancies that involved pregnancy testing and such. Unfortunately Udara died just over four and a half years later on September 7th 1991.
From August 11th 1986 - March 3rd 1987,
Puan 0.1 (and possibly infant
Punya 0.1 with her) co-habitated an exhibit with
Atjeh 1.0. After a 247 day gestation beginning on January 19th 1987 (avoidance between Puan and Atjeh began the next day the 20th Jan); Puan gave birth to another male baby Sumatran Orangutan named
Puluh 1.0 on September 23rd 1987 (funnily enough 4 years to the day after Hsing Hsing {'Sing-'Sing} arrived at Perth Zoo).
Puluh's birth was the most recent at the time Dr Markham published her paper.
(in March 1992, Jamie 1.0 & Lollipop 0.2, Perth Zoo's two Chimpanzees were exported to live at Hyderabad Zoo in India, hence the daytime exhibits of the zoo's Orangutans were increased from four exhibits to five exhibits).
although I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that it might have been to keep the infant's head warm when she wasn't able to fully snuggle with her mama.