Berlin Zoo Kevin the Orangutan
- Thread starter Beckyv
- Start date
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
I think that if he was moved to Monkey World then he would be at a place where he is with a number of other males (Not physically in) and due to his problems with his legs if the other males can see him maybe he can't compete with their long calls? I'm no Orangutan expert, so I apologies if this info is wrong. 
A really sad story,he was confiscated from a circus, wasn't even housed in accommodation big enough for him to grow properly and now lives at Berlin.Just like another poster I assumed Berlin would be very wealthy, however as stated this is not the case,I suppose some would also have assumed that London would have been a wealthy organisation, but as we all know this also has not always been the case.Monkey World would be a good thing for Kevin, but of coarse you cannot find the money to build him a home at the end of a rainbow, perhaps if Kevin had been confiscated from bad conditions in the U.K. fund raising to build him a new home would not have been such a problem, look how much was donated from the public last year when Anne the elephant finally retired from the circus, and I also remember when Trudy was confiscated from her previous owners there was no shortage of donations then,even money raised through one national newspaper to finance her solicitor/barrister when her previous owners suggested they would like "their property"back. Perhaps Kevin's plight could be made more public, as just like a fellow poster before reading about him on zoo chat I also knew nothing about him or his existence.
It seems to me that Kevin is not really a hopeless case or even a truly problem animal- just one that badly needs placing in a breeding situation. Remember he is wildcaught but has no(living) relatives/descendants so on that score alone he is a very valuable/priority animal for breeding. Having bad legs or being humanised obviously won't/hasn't impaired his abilities in the past in that direction as he has bred but infants dns- Orangutans normally mate sitting or lying down anyway.
If, as stated, his leg problems aren't that bad anyway, I think few people would notice if they saw him, and it sounds as if he was previously on exhibit at Berlin anyway- probably he was moved offshow due to a lack of space and he has stayed like that since.
Finding new places for adult male Orangutans is never easy but I do think he should be at the top of the EEP lists when it comes to somewhere taking a new male for breeding.
If, as stated, his leg problems aren't that bad anyway, I think few people would notice if they saw him, and it sounds as if he was previously on exhibit at Berlin anyway- probably he was moved offshow due to a lack of space and he has stayed like that since.
Finding new places for adult male Orangutans is never easy but I do think he should be at the top of the EEP lists when it comes to somewhere taking a new male for breeding.
Until he was banned to the roof, Kevin was exhibited ever since his arrival, and he was always much appreciated by the visitors.
If he was moved offshow it was because the primate-house was restructured. I was told (?) his enclosure was needed to give more space to the gorillas, to encourage their breeding.This has not happened however...
Even if the situation of Kevin seems to not be optimal, but in a sence he is still lucky. He can use 70 m2, has probably a very skilled and dedicated keeper teem and relativelly good future prospect because he is genetically important for EEP. On the other hand, there are quite a few older male surplus orangs in Europe in much worse conditions and no hope for a better future (like Jolo in Liberec, with only cca 20m2 and on surplus list since forever). I think zoos should generally consider to help EEP here and when they build or reconstruct orang breeding facilities, create a place for 1 spare/retired adult male.
Good point Jana, it's inevitable that there will be 'surplus' males and they are possibly even harder to place than gorillas who are put into bachelor groups, and relatively inactive so not showing well although Rajang at Colchester manages to have loads of ladies going to show him their elbows!
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
While it is clear from your comments in various threads that you disapprove of the direction of the Berlin zoos, it is equally clear that many don't share your opinion, judging by the numbers that actually go to the two zoos. A denuded collection is possible, of course - one only needs to look at London to see the possibilities there - but i think I'd rather have what you have in Berlin!
I think that if he was moved to Monkey World then he would be at a place where he is with a number of other males (Not physically in) and due to his problems with his legs if the other males can see him maybe he can't compete with their long calls? I'm no Orangutan expert, so I apologies if this info is wrong.
Not sure why his leg problems would affect his long calls or how much of a "competition" it is, there must always be one who is inferior when 2 are close and they don't need to be able to see each other to know the other one is there. He could have a brilliant long call striking fear into the hearts of male orangutans for miles around
Jana, I couldn`t agree more. Especially as I have seen Jolo in Liberec some years ago and was very sad about the small place he was housed in.
...And there are probably many more animals in the same situation in other zoos.
Your idea to oblige zoos to create facilities for spare, or surplus animals sounds great, but may have only a chance to be implemented when zoos start to regard animals as individuals.
Gorillas will breed in a tiny space if the animals are right. I think they're whistling in the wind if they think more space will help their Gorillas to breed
when all they need is a decent male to replace 'Ivo'. They must surely know better than that?Kevin- I cannot really understand why the EEP haven't found a place at another Zoo for him to allow breeding, during all this time- we all know how long it often takes to place an animal and for a transfer to actually happen, but all this shillyshallying over his current situation has/is generating bad publicity for the Zoo- finding him a better home would stop that and the general focus of attention on him.
Ivo has been pushed around a lot in his life (there is even a Dutch film about it, which I didn't have the chance to see). For this reason I hope he will not be replaced too soon.
There has been bad publicity without end for a lot of reasons, right now it is about two young lions from incest, one euthanized, the other sent to Managua, a zoo apparently so poor, they have to look for people sponsoring his food.
As to Kevin, just a speculation: they may not care enough to pressure the EEP again and again. And there has never been much public attention to his plight, except for what I had mentioned earlier on from last summer.
Something else very strange happened: After there had been complete silence about him for another year, I know from a private person, who called the EEP coordinator on behalf of Kevin 4 (?) weeks ago. Only one day later there was this article claiming he would be in Chester as soon as the Blackpool Orangs, at present living there, would have left.
And then we can start worrying about poor Jolo 
1. I don't think they will get any more Gorilla breeding while Ivo is still there. If they want to keep them as non-breeding that is probably okay too as there are almost too many(male) babies about these days to find more homes for.
2. Given Kevin's genetic value I am still surprised the EEP themselves haven't negotiated a transfer for him-its fairly evident Berlin do not want him even if they are apathetic about applying to get him rehomed.
3. What a surprise they put out that statement about Kevin at that particular time....
Seems it is false information though?
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Blackpools Orangs are not at Chester unless you know something that,the staff at Chester and Blackpool don't!Also when stuff concerns Chester I don't believe,what other zoo's or people that don't work at the place,say as so often it proves not to be true,when Chester says something is going to happen then I believe it to be true,and in the case of Kevin they have said nothing!!