Paignton Zoo orangutans
- Thread starter josh_08
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Gigit
Well-Known Member
does anybody know when the 3 pregnant orangutans are due?
The brief answer to that is probably: 'No, not exactly'. However, discussions about it all are on other threads in the Paignton section eg. 'Orangutan behaviour', 'Demolition Man Demo' ........
Gigit
Well-Known Member
Update on orangutan pregnancies
Mali definitely looks pregnant now, as does Chinta if she stretches herself out. I haven't seen Gambira for a couple of weeks so can't comment on her.
This is an extract from an item in the local paper on January 15:
" Primate keepers at the zoo are expecting the birth of three Bornean orangutan babies in the next few months after 10 year old super-stud Demo ( bless him, he doesn't look like one!) worked triple overtime.
Senior ape keeper Craig Gilchrist, who is keeping watch over the pregnancies of Gambira, 10, Chinta, 18, and Mali, 13, said: 'Mali is very round now. She has her mood swings, just like a human mother-to-be. There's been no real change in Gambira and Chinta. Orangs are very hard to read. They would make fantastic poker players.'
He believes the births are likely to take place overnight and he and his keeping colleagues are prepared to follow events through the night if necessary.
Zoo curator of mammals, Neil Bemment, said: 'We hope they give birth and rear their youngsters naturally but we have made some plans in case some or all of them do not. We will play it by ear. Both Gambira and Chinta are first time mothers. Mali's first baby was stillborn.
If it does come to hand rearing, and we hope it won't, then Craig has hand reared a gorilla at Howletts Zoo, so he knows the dedication and patience needed.'"
Mali definitely looks pregnant now, as does Chinta if she stretches herself out. I haven't seen Gambira for a couple of weeks so can't comment on her.
This is an extract from an item in the local paper on January 15:
" Primate keepers at the zoo are expecting the birth of three Bornean orangutan babies in the next few months after 10 year old super-stud Demo ( bless him, he doesn't look like one!) worked triple overtime.
Senior ape keeper Craig Gilchrist, who is keeping watch over the pregnancies of Gambira, 10, Chinta, 18, and Mali, 13, said: 'Mali is very round now. She has her mood swings, just like a human mother-to-be. There's been no real change in Gambira and Chinta. Orangs are very hard to read. They would make fantastic poker players.'
He believes the births are likely to take place overnight and he and his keeping colleagues are prepared to follow events through the night if necessary.
Zoo curator of mammals, Neil Bemment, said: 'We hope they give birth and rear their youngsters naturally but we have made some plans in case some or all of them do not. We will play it by ear. Both Gambira and Chinta are first time mothers. Mali's first baby was stillborn.
If it does come to hand rearing, and we hope it won't, then Craig has hand reared a gorilla at Howletts Zoo, so he knows the dedication and patience needed.'"
Gigit
Well-Known Member
From Paignton's local paper today:
HOW do you know if an orangutan is pregnant?
It is a question puzzling keepers at Paignton Zoo as they 'watch and wait' to see if three female Bornean orangutans are definitely with child.
In early December the zoo announced all three were thought to be pregnant, with births expected within a couple of months.
But since then, pregnancy tests designed for humans have proved negative.
However some behaviour patterns still point that multiple births could be around the corner. A zoo spokesman said: "We can't take it to see a gynaecologist and using pregnancy testing kits designed for humans is not always reliable, so in the end all we can do is watch and wait."
Keepers believe a change in the orangs' behaviour is the key as the foursome are no longer sexually active.
Neil Bemment, curator of mammals and the man with the most orang experience at the zoo, said: "This is when regular keeper observations are so important.
"They see their animals every day, they know their routines and their behaviour, they know when these routines or behaviour change.
"The strongest evidence for the three being pregnant is that they do not appear to have come back into season and the male shows no signs of mating them now.
"If we go by the last observed mating between Demo and Mali then she would be four weeks overdue now, but we may well have missed a mating a month later. This would account for the delay.
"Orangs can give birth with very little warning. It can vary from individual to individual, but there may be very few behavioural changes."
The zoo's group of Bornean orangutans is made up of male Demo, 10, and females Gambira,11, Chinta, 18, and Mali, 13.
Vet Sarah Hewitt said: "We tried testing with human pregnancy testing kits, but these came out negative."
She said the kits can be accurate in the early stages of an orang pregnancy but they become less reliable later on.
"We can perform blood tests or ultrasound scans to confirm pregnancy. Animals can be trained to come to the safety barriers in the off-show areas so that vets can take blood samples or even do scans.
"Our female orangs are not trained to do this, so it's not an option now, though it's something I'd like to look at for the future.
"To do a scan in these individuals we would have to use a general anaesthetic, but that's something we don't want to be doing at a critical time like this unless we really have to."
HOW do you know if an orangutan is pregnant?
It is a question puzzling keepers at Paignton Zoo as they 'watch and wait' to see if three female Bornean orangutans are definitely with child.
In early December the zoo announced all three were thought to be pregnant, with births expected within a couple of months.
But since then, pregnancy tests designed for humans have proved negative.
However some behaviour patterns still point that multiple births could be around the corner. A zoo spokesman said: "We can't take it to see a gynaecologist and using pregnancy testing kits designed for humans is not always reliable, so in the end all we can do is watch and wait."
Keepers believe a change in the orangs' behaviour is the key as the foursome are no longer sexually active.
Neil Bemment, curator of mammals and the man with the most orang experience at the zoo, said: "This is when regular keeper observations are so important.
"They see their animals every day, they know their routines and their behaviour, they know when these routines or behaviour change.
"The strongest evidence for the three being pregnant is that they do not appear to have come back into season and the male shows no signs of mating them now.
"If we go by the last observed mating between Demo and Mali then she would be four weeks overdue now, but we may well have missed a mating a month later. This would account for the delay.
"Orangs can give birth with very little warning. It can vary from individual to individual, but there may be very few behavioural changes."
The zoo's group of Bornean orangutans is made up of male Demo, 10, and females Gambira,11, Chinta, 18, and Mali, 13.
Vet Sarah Hewitt said: "We tried testing with human pregnancy testing kits, but these came out negative."
She said the kits can be accurate in the early stages of an orang pregnancy but they become less reliable later on.
"We can perform blood tests or ultrasound scans to confirm pregnancy. Animals can be trained to come to the safety barriers in the off-show areas so that vets can take blood samples or even do scans.
"Our female orangs are not trained to do this, so it's not an option now, though it's something I'd like to look at for the future.
"To do a scan in these individuals we would have to use a general anaesthetic, but that's something we don't want to be doing at a critical time like this unless we really have to."