Orangutans and the People Who Love Them – A 20 Year ... · Orangutans and the People Who Love...

Orangutans and the People Who Love

Them – A 20 Year Overview of Orangutan

Husbandry

Why is this so interesting?

We’ve come a long way baby!

Look what we’ve done…

What’s changed?

Training is almost universal

Enrichment is routine and complex

Keepers are better trained and have more resources available to provide quality care

Taxon knowledge is increasing

Orangutans are high profile animals!

Who we are

Women vs. men?

How many years have you worked

with orangutans?

1 year or less: 8 people

2 to 4 years: 17 people





25+ years: 2 people

680 years total or 8.29 years per person

What are our jobs?

45 full time keepers

20 relief keepers

15 Lead Keepers

14 Managers/Curator

12 other

Vet Tech

Director

Volunteer

Primate/other keeper

Where have you worked with

orangutans?

How many orangutans have you

cared for?

Why have you chosen to work with

orangutans?

Describe your first meeting with an

orangutan “I was nervous. They

were impressive and I

didn't know much

about them. Their

keepers were very

protective and so I

really only got an

impression of their

size but wasn't

interested in working

with them for years”

Sarah Shearer –

Chaffee Zoo


orangutan

Excited

nervous

responsible

Crystal –

Miami Zoo


orangutan

“The then 23 year old male immediately came up to the mesh and began making raspberry noises and funny faces as well as partially long calling and any other noise he could make to make me laugh (which doesn't take much :) Made me feel rejuvenated and happy just being around an animal that seemed carefree and loving life”

Unknown

Describe your first meeting with an orangutan “I first met Sally who had her

specific way of deciding if she would like a new keeper or not. Every day while I cleaned, Sally would take large mouthfuls of water and drench me. I was told to just ignore her until she decided I was okay. Every day I completely ignored her while she was soaking me, not one flinch or look toward her. One day she just stopped. She interacted with me in positive ways and was excellent during training sessions. I just had to pass her inspection! I thought it was pretty ingenious, apparently not many keepers met her qualifications!”

Unknown


orangutan

“I was in awe that I was going to work with orangutans. The dominant female traded me fabric right away. I was blown away by their inquisitiveness. They had me at hello” Megan Elder – Como Park Zoo


orangutan “The first time I met an

orangutan I wondered why I didn't know anything about such a fabulous animal. There is so much focus on the other great apes it seemed absurd that I had heard so little about orangutans. I was impressed with their quiet intelligence and composure”

Jill Katka

Describe your first meeting with an orangutan

“Life changing - looking into the soul of the

male and he was looking into mine” Ronda

Schwetz – Henry Vilas Zoo


orangutan “I met Sam on my first day as a Primate Keeper – I was

the first women to work in the area. The Lead Keeper said he was the meanest animal in the building. When we walked by the cage, he began to display and throw things around – it was scary at first. John walked away and I stood looking at Sam swirling around the cage, angry – this massive bunch of red hair. Every time he came to the front where John and I were standing, Sam would press his face to the glass and stare at John so intently it was like he was saying “I hate you” – Sam was breathing heavy and you could see his breath on the glass. John said “Later, Sam” and walked away. Sam again swung up to the glass, I smiled at him, of course thinking he would understand. He stopped, looked deep into my eyes and sat down. I knew at that moment I wanted so badly to know him, understand him and to try to make him feel better. He was spectacular!”

Carol Sodaro, Brookfield Zoo

Who is your favorite orangutan?

Why are they so special? All of the orangutans I work with are

very special to me. That said, I have had the experience of working with Minyak throughout his time at the LA Zoo. Because I have worked with him through very challenging times due to his battle with air sacculitis and a not so happy history at a previous facility, I would have to say he holds a very special place in my heart. He has battled through very serious issues and has had the opportunity now to enjoy good health and the company of other orangutans on a consistent basis. He is a very inspiring individual and I feel very privileged to know him.

Megan Fox, Los Angeles Zoo


Why are they so special?

Roberta, a hybrid orangutan taught me more about working with apes than any other primate (including humans). She was stubborn, brilliant, patient and had a subtle yet goofy sense of humor. From her I learned that when it comes to a battle of the wills, an orangutan will always win. She also taught me that orangutans seem to respect rules and fair play.

Unknown


Why are they so special? “My favorite orangutan is definitely an

adult male hybrid named Bruno. He is a ladies man and super sweet. He will allow practically anyone to touch his lips and feed him. I was there when he escaped. When he tried to do it again, we tried luring him with chocolate. He walked over the chocolate and came inside to hang out with me. He is very impressive, longs calls a lot, and I love him!”

Amy Rosson

“There is no way I could ever choose a

favorite! There are all amazing. The closest I could maybe come is a slight partialness to cheek padders”

Unknown


Why are they so special? “I love all three for very different reasons.

When dealing with Mei everything is on her terms and her needs are usually immediate and obvious. She is a challenge and I love it! We have come to a great understanding of each other and I love her fortitude! Mukah is my main man he always looks at me with dreamy eyes, he is learning more and more every day how to be an Orangutan and I'm so proud of him and honored to watch him blossom. But there is a very special place in my heart for Kerajaan. When you sit in his presence and look into his eyes there is a soulfulness that is palpitable. The animal he was portrayed to be is not the animal he is at our institution. He is very peaceable, gentle, and agreeable My life will forever be impacted by him”

Manda Butler – Cameron Park Zoo

Orangutan care

philosophy

“It is hard to sum up but I would say that caring for orangutans should always be based on mutual respect and understanding. The orangutans should have as much choice as can be provided and be given as much stimulation as possible, social and otherwise. They should always be treated as the intelligent, sentient beings that they are and their emotional and physical health should always be treated with the utmost importance”

Megan Fox – Los Angeles Zoo

Providing orangutans with the

highest standard of care and well-

being includes: Choices

Cooperative and consistent care

Focus on individual animal needs

Promoting natural or species typical behaviors

Intellectual engagement

Respect, understanding

Patience

Honest, clear and consistent treatment

Cared for by a knowledgeable, passionate, dedicated staff

Fun

Respect what they tell you

Encouraging them to meet their individual abilities

Complex, naturalistic environments, training and enrichment

Describe the most incredible thing

you have seen an orangutan do

“Tear down a door bell

wire and keep ringing

the bell (but hide the

wire) and basically

watch the keepers

keep answering a

door when no one

was there!”

Erin Stromberg -

National Zoo


you have seen an orangutan do “ “I think that the most

amazing wild orangutan behavior was one frequently done by animals at my field site - they carry leaves with known anti-mosquito properties from one site to a different nest site and then use these leaves as pillows, blankets, etc in their night nest site” Meredith Bastian – Philadelphia Zoo


you have seen an orangutan do

“One grabbed another

orangutans finger

and wanted me to

put skin lotion on a

dry spot for them.

One orangutan cued

me to open my

mouth by opening

her mouth”

Unknown


you have seen an orangutan do?

“I have seen a juvenile use

a feed tub as a turtle shell

to go outside and eat hail

balls without getting

pelted, and I have seen

an old, arthritic female

who hadn't been a mom

in many years adopt a

baby and care for him

even though he made her

very sore and tired”

Unknown


you have seen an orangutan do “There have been several times I

cannot believe what I just witnessed with the orangutans. My favorite is when Chantek knows something you don't -- he looks you in the eye, gives you a "follow me" motion and leads me to whatever he is trying to show me and then dramatically points to it. I love the level of communication between us -- where he can communicate what he wants -- even when I have no clue beforehand” Unknown


you have seen an orangutan do “My desk is approximately 8 feet from the

holding cage that Lena was housed in. I had given her a large cardboard box to play with for the day. I left the room, leaving my jacket( with my car keys) draped over my chair, which was a rolling desk chair. When I returned a little while later, I found Lena sitting in her cage wearing my jacket (correctly) and twirling my keys in her hand. She had unfolded the box, slid it under the caging, then under the wheels of the chair and pulled it close enough to get a hold of my jacket. With a some choice treats, I was able to trade for both my jacket and keys. Disaster avoided! On another occasion, Lena brought a rather long branch in with her the end of the day and proceeded to use it to try and knock off the light covers outside her cage. I quickly went to the refrigerator to grab something to give her for the branch. I happened to grab three grapes. Fully prepared to give her all the grapes for the branch, I approached the cage and showed them to her. She pulled the branch back into the cage broke it into three pieces and gave one piece for each

grape. WOW!” Unknown

What other animals do you care

for?

Does your zoo have a dedicated

Primate Staff?

What conservation projects does

your zoo support? SOCP

Orangutan Outreach

Nyaru Menteng

Platinum Great Ape Initiative

Serge Wich

Orangutan Conservancy

KOCP

Center for Great Apes

None

Does your zoo support staff for

field work?

13 zoos offered

funding

6 gave paid time off

6 received grants

47 zoos did not

support field work

One person had to

quit their job to do

field work

Does your zoo allow keeper staff to

fund raise for conservation?

Exhibit Features

Orangutan weight monitoring

Orangutan

preventative medicine exams

Have you been present for an

orangutan birth?

Have you participated in hand-

rearing an orangutan?

Infant Re-introductions

Shipments and quarantine

2 weeks

30 days = 59 zoos

45 days = 1 zoo

60 days = 5 zoos

90 days = 9

In the building

Where is the orangutan

quarantined?

Have you worked with an o that has

suffered depression after shipment to

your zoo? Last year, LA brought a new female in from Florida. Originally she was from

Auckland and only spent about 2 years in Florida. She had been moved there with her mother and father, so at least she still had their companionship. Once she moved to LA, she became depresses and withdrawn. She had a reputation for not shifting well either, which did not help. We immediately gave her outdoor access to our dayroom after she arrived at the orangutan exhibit. She would not shift in and would not spend much, if any time, with the keepers. She shut down. Management decided to put one keeper with her to try and help her adapt and someone she could get to know. I was given the task to try and help her through this. I had about 4 weeks to work her. She was brought indoors for a while to get accustomed to shifting through the building. She was better about interacting with keepers while inside at this time too. She was still challenging but at least we had access to her. She was introduced to one of our females at this time too, which went fairly well (she would have like to have been more dominant over her though). After the 4 weeks, we all continued to work with her and gently pushed her to shift etc. We also began other introductions hoping that having the other orangutans would help her emotional state and also help her with shifting. She has been getting better.

What did you do to address the

depression – how long was their

adjustment?

A few animals still not interacting with staff – is not interested in keepers

Consistency with keepers and routine

Spoiling and lots of attention

One female still not right after 2 years!

Patience and trust building – still settling in after 1.5 years

Adjustment periods ranged from 3 weeks to over 2 years!

Do your orangutans enjoy interacting with

guests in any specific way?

Shower guests

Play tug of war

Special focus on watching human babies

Beg, spit, throw items

Requests to see in visitor’s purses

Smiles

Gazing, analyzing people – making people scream and gasp

Washes windows

What would you like to have for your orangutans

that you don’t have right now?

Heated resting platforms

Additional enrichment

Palm oil graphics

A keeper that wants to work with them

Scale

I-pad

A breeding female, more orangutans, baby orangutans

More space, climbing opportunities

Do you have any enrichment

challenges and why?

Babies

Destruction is the most common complaint

Extending the time enrichment is used

Female who won’t climb, doesn’t like being

outside

Yasmin – she bangs her head all of the

time

Do you have any guest –

orangutan interactives in your

exhibit? Tug of war outdoor misting system

Feeders on the wall for guests to fish for

beans

Tree climbing behavior that guests can

cue

A pull (rowing machine with fire hose)

Enrichment tree

75 respondents said no

How many days per week is each

orangutan trained?

Are your animals trained for basic

husbandry behaviors?

Who participates in training besides

keeper staff?

Do you have any orangutans that

present a training challenge?

Handicapped female that is slow

An orangutan who is not food motivated

Animals who become frustrated

Lack of concentration on training

Motivation in general

Difficult or painful behaviors

Health issues

Too fat!

What fun behaviors have you

trained?

Somersaults

Exercise program – squats, bending knees,

running the length of the holding area

None – keepers are restricted to husbandry

behaviors

Free shaping or innovative training sessions

Playing a recorder, piano whistle blowing

Break dance

Play the training game with the orangutans

What aspect of husbandry needs

improvement? Sharing medical knowledge

Having managers understand the need to give keepers time for training

Better exhibits

More enrichment ideas for orangutans who enjoy destroying items – this is the majority of our animals!

Methods to increase foraging and natural locomotion

Improved shipment strategies, quarantine and transition strategies

Curator training to understand the taxon

Less invasive TB testing methods

Diet and weight management – body condition scoring

Consistency in training – standardize training cues across the SSP

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