Singapore Zoo Orang utan enclosure design...

NZ Jeremy

NZ Jeremy

Well-Known Member
G'day to all,

I understand that the orangs are kept in island exhibits at the zoo (with trees..!)..?

I was under the impression they were not able to be kept with trees because they are intelligent enough to use them to escape..?

Can they not swim..?

How old is this exhibit..?

Can anyone explain its design features to me..?
 
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Orang-utans cannot swim, and when Chester zoo were designing their new exhibit they did not use moat, because Orangs can drown.
 
Hi Jeremy,

The Singapore Zoo houses orang utans in 3 different types of display:

1. The "Island" as you mentioned. Live trees were recently planted on the island, but all placed in the centre, away from the island's perimeter. Recently hot wire was placed on the trees not to prevent escape but to let the trees mature as the orangs were destroying the new shoots. All the trees planted on the island are ficus species. As for the moat, the zoo has never had any problems and in fact a couple of the orangs actually enjoy a dip in the water on hot afternoons! The design of the moat edge is important, with a gradual slope leading to deeper water. This reduces the chance of drowning.
The island exhibit has been at the zoo for over 30 years.

2. "Free-ranging on live trees". 2 areas have been set up, each with about 6, 7 large trees (over 15 metres tall). Hot wire is placed on the trunks to prevent orangs from descending to the ground. Trees in the surrounding area are pruned to prevent the orangs from escaping via connecting branches. Since it was set up more than a year ago, there has been 1 "escape" (the hot wire failed. But the orangs were all raised with free contact so the keepers simply strolled over and took the orangs back to their dens by hand) and no falls. However, only the younger females and adolescents are allowed in these free-ranging areas as larger, older animals are more prone to falling.

3. "Enclosed cage". This is a new enclosure (opened in July 2007) to house a breeding pair of Sumatrans, with a glass viewing wall and fully enclosed mesh. This enclosure is similarly heavily planted.

You can have a look at my gallery page. i've posted photos of all the 3 types of enclosures.
 
Thank you zooish...

In number 2 is there no enclosure at all...? Just wires on the trunks..? Could they not jump down..?
 
Yup, there aren't any enclosures in the "free-range" areas, just a cluster of trees with hot wires. The hot wires are placed on the trunks about 5 metres above ground, at this height, the orangs don't feel comfortable to jump.
 
I had a look at your photos Zooish... Amazing...

How do they feed the animals..?

Or get one down if it needs medical treatment..?
 
orangutans are escape artists, and have incredible patience and a willingness to delecately take everything to pieces. they are usually not allowed access to live trees becuse they simply destroy them and a very large space and very mature trees, protected in parts (such as at singapore) are needed to houe them in this naturalistic way. they can also employ broken branches as escape tools. nontheless, i think most zoos are a little unamaginative to say the least when it omes to orangutan exhibits.
 
Just a thing about them being escape artists...

I was reading a book about London Zoo and they had an Orang in the old Ape House (pre-Sobell pavillion). The keeper had left the keys to the Orang cage on the desk, opposite. the Orang then managed to hook them with a branch and work his way through each individual key until it found the one which matched the lock. ;) Once escaping he managed to smash a skylight and slept in a tree in Regeant's Park for a day. :)
 
I think it was a Sumatran male called 'Jacob' and it happened in the early 1920's. I think he built a nest in the tree too.

Orangs are terrific escape artists- largely because they have not only the intelligence but also the patience to work at something for a long period too.
They've also been known to hide an escape 'tool' if they think they're being watched and then go back to using it later.
 
NZ Jeremy said:
I had a look at your photos Zooish... Amazing...

How do they feed the animals..?

Or get one down if it needs medical treatment..?
Click to expand...

A long vertical pole will be leaned (using a hydraulic piston) against one of the trees, above the point of hot wires, letting the orangs use it as a bridge to descend. It works somewhat like a drawbridge.

When not in use, this bridging pole is raised vertically, away from the tree trunk, too far for the orangs to grab or jump onto it.

The orangs are really really smart and crafty, so their keepers constantly keep watch over them while they are free-ranging. A few of the younger ones learned to use branches to try and break the hot wires, but they never succeeded because they ran out of patience. The wires used now are extra strong.
 
Zooish said:
A few of the younger ones learned to use branches to try and break the hot wires, but they never succeeded because they ran out of patience.
Click to expand...

Ha Ha... That is clever..!

Do they use this pole for feeding too..?
 
Yup, feeding takes place at ground level. The free-ranging orangs are returned to their dens every evening (and also when it rains) and they use the pole to descend as well.

Once in a while, one of them will refuse to descend and stay in the trees for the night. The keepers would have to stay back and keep watch throughout the night.
 
I know this is an old post, but have arrived here in a roundabout way after looking up orang posts & pictures at Singapore Zoo, and I just have to say how heartening it's been to read about the imaginative and naturalistic way Singapore is accommodating at least some of its orangutans by letting them free range in the trees.

The story about London Zoo's Jacob made me smile too ...... good on him ! I expect what he was escaping from in the 1920s made him all the more determined to taste freedom.
 
I'm going to Singapore on my way to Australia in October, can't wait to see the free range area (and the majority of Singapore zoo ;))
 
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