Orangutans in Europe 2025

Apenheul has provided an update on the young orangutan. She is doing very well, gaining weight and drinking more and more. Apenheul hopes to find a mother orangutan who is feeding her own young and will hopefully accept this youngster. Together with the EEP coordinator, a suitable place is being sought. This will allow the youngster to grow up in conditions that are as natural as possible. To prepare the young orangutan for this, the animal carers are doing daily exercises with her to develop her muscles.

It has now become clear that mother Samboja has died of severe pneumonia with complications.

Source: Apenheul
 
KevinB said:
A Sumatran orangutan exchange has taken place between Frankfurt and Pairi Daiza, with Sinta, Molly and Jula moving from Pairi Daiza to Frankfurt, where they will be introduced to Sayang, and with Kemabli (23), Rosa (26), Indah (17), Bukti (4) en Yori (7) moving from Frankfurt to Pairi Daiza, where they have moved into the orangutan house behind the Craftsman's House.

Pairi Daiza NL

https://www.nieuwsblad.be/binnenlan...rme-en-persoonlijkheid-te-over/105795837.html
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Is Kemabli male?
 
Kembali, Yori ad Bukit are male, Rosa and Indah female. A bit of a strange move to be honest. In the press releases the zoos speak of a "family" that would stay together. Just that orangutan do not live in families... At the moment Pairi Daiza now has 6.3 orangutans - of course four of them not (fully) grown up yet.
 
Orang utans often form close bonds with each other in zoos when kept in groups. And of course the mother/infant pairs are family. But I do not understand why they moved so many females and infants instead of just switching the males?! That makes no sense.
 
C
Pongo said:
Kembali, Yori ad Bukit are male, Rosa and Indah female. A bit of a strange move to be honest. In the press releases the zoos speak of a "family" that would stay together. Just that orangutan do not live in families... At the moment Pairi Daiza now has 6.3 orangutans - of course four of them not (fully) grown up yet.
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Yes I am not sure why they have exchanged so many animals. PD just needed a new male to replace Gempa but instead these two whole groups have been exchanged. I think in zoos Orangutans are treated rather differently than in the wild. The group situation often allows bonds to develop that wouldn't be present in the wild, and then the animals come to be
considered more as an artificial 'family'. I know it's not natural but I also think some zoos then either feel they have to promote the idea or at least live with it for the publicity angle. Paira Daiza's other group is an example, often publicised as a family of mother father and the two sons.
 
As far I know wild orang utans live in a fission-fusion society, when enough food is around they may be more social in the wild then most people think. That they can and do live together peacefully in rather big groups in zoos shows that they are capable of complex social behavoir.
 
Yassa said:
As far I know wild orang utans live in a fission-fusion society, when enough food is around they may be more social in the wild then most people think. That they can and do live together peacefully in rather big groups in zoos shows that they are capable of complex social behavoir.
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They can get along when there is a sufficient amount of food but they will usually not bond. Females can be social, males are not. The issue with the often shown harem structure is that they cannot avoid contact if they don't like another. The way of keeping orangutans as wanted in the best practice guidelines is that females can opt between joining a male or stay on their own - this of course is expensive to change and very few enclosures can offer this.

What's a bit strange with this particular move is that it doesn't offer a lot new possibilities. Frankfurt can keep Sayang and breed with either Jula or Anna-Hanna/Molly - breeding with both genetically doesn't make sense since they are mother/daughter. Pairi Daiza receives the same constellation that has already bred before.
 
Why do PD need a new male to replace Gempa if they already have another adult male? Do they have two enclosures/groups?
 
Yassa said:
But I do not understand why they moved so many females and infants instead of just switching the males?! That makes no sense.
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Nor me. I had even thought they might move young Berani over from the other 'family' at PD to replace Gempa, but he is still a bit young- though no doubt capable of breeding already.
 
It’s a shame PD couldn’t operate a fission-fusion system with the second enclosure, as I believe is the direction that the EEP is wanting to go. I suppose orangutan holding is rare to come by in Europe though, especially as resources are split between the two species.
 
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