How easy/hard is it to mix gibbons and orangutans?

Hipporex

Hipporex

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How easy/hard is it to mix gibbons (family Hylobatidae) and orangutans (genus Pongo)? By this I mean, when the animals are being introduced, how often do the animals not get along and have to be exhibit separately, and how often are the introductions successful and the animals end up getting along?
 
I figured as much as I know it's a relatively common mix. I was just wondering because I know several zoos with relatively crummy gibbon exhibits but decent orang exhibits and I was wondering how easy or not it'd be to mix the two within the orang exhibits.
 
Getting them to accept each other is one thing, and the fact that we see the combination quite often would indicate that that isn't very difficult. However, not all orang exhibits can hold gibbons and vice versa, and all individuals can't be held together for various reasons. When mixing two species everything there isn't just compatibility you have to think about but also diet and may other things.
 
In the western United States the Oregon Zoo had their gibbons living with their orangutans (that exhibit is apparently defunct as we discuss this in January 2019 as they rebuild their primate house). In California there are mixed siamang and orangutan exhibits at Fresno Zoo and San Diego Zoo. It seems to be done often enough that there are proven protocols for how to make it work.
 
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Neither orangutans nor gibbons are particularly aggressive animals, which makes it easier to keep them together in the same exhibit. As with everything, a lot of it has to do with the design of the enclosure; there has to be sufficient space for all individuals, especially since both in this case are primarily arboreal. Ideally you want there to be as little need for competition as possible, and plenty of opportunities for the two species to separate from each other.

A common way of mixing two different species together is to design spaces where only one of the species can go. In this case, since gibbons are smaller and lighter than orangutans, one idea could be to include climbing paths that orangutans are too heavy to utilize and that gibbons can use to escape to an orangutan-free zone if necessary.
 
In my opinion when you mix species always is important to reduce as much as possible competition for resources.
In that case, even both are highly arboreal must take in consideration weight differences as @Coelacanth18 said. Another important point for me are different shelters for each different species.

In general terms is a very safe union and with wide success in zoos over the world, recommended/acepted by all husbandry guidelines.
 
Prague used to keep white-handed gibbons together with Sumatran orangs. Their enclosure was specially built for this mix in mind and was very spacious, gibbons had their separate island and inner boxes not accesible to orangs. It went relativelly ok for some years, however the gibbons were clearly more aggresive to orangs than vice versa. Then it came to changes in individual animals, and that mix was no longer possible (conflicts) and gibbons were given away.
 
Hipporex said:
How easy/hard is it to mix gibbons (family Hylobatidae) and orangutans (genus Pongo)? By this I mean, when the animals are being introduced, how often do the animals not get along and have to be exhibit separately, and how often are the introductions successful and the animals end up getting along?
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Melbourne zoo, in Australia held Orangutans with Saimangs for quite a few years. The facilities that they lived together in were quite small; not allowing either species to get away when fighting. In the time frame that they would be together the Saimangs would attack the Orangutans (you would think it to be the other way around), leading to them being separated after living together for 2-4 years.
 
Hipporex said:
How easy/hard is it to mix gibbons (family Hylobatidae) and orangutans (genus Pongo)? By this I mean, when the animals are being introduced, how often do the animals not get along and have to be exhibit separately, and how often are the introductions successful and the animals end up getting along?
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If either species showed aggression, it would be the gibbon. It has however, been known for a male orang to sexually harass a gibbon.....
 
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The Smithsonian Zoo has a sign about how much male orangs like to rape. Complete with illustration.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
I'm just going to put it out there: it might be seriously unhelpful to talk about this sign as describing rape.
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Sorry, I feel like my response here was unnecessarily snarky. However, I do think that it's unwise to apply human sociological concepts to other species.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
Sorry, I feel like my response here was unnecessarily snarky. However, I do think that it's unwise to apply human sociological concepts to other species.
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I wasn't the first one to use it in this thread... I also don't think it's strictly a human concept. The textbook definition widely varies, but forced copulation certainly fits.
 
TinoPup said:
I wasn't the first one to use it in this thread... I also don't think it's strictly a human concept. The textbook definition widely varies, but forced copulation certainly fits.
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I was however, my bad I guess? I suppose forced copulation would be more appropriate for a non-human animals
 
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