Zach at the Zoo: Meet the Bornean Orangutan

In this edition of Zach at the Zoo, we are better introduced to Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium's Bornean Orangutans – the world's largest tree dwelling animal and one of the most intelligent.

• We also check out the brand-new Hubbard Orangutan Forest.
• Orangutans are critically endangered due to deforestation.
• To learn more about how you can help the species, click here.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

They’re sure to catch your eye.

“They just look so majestic as they’re moving,” Great Apes Caretaker Abby Simon said.

Even more so in their brand-new home. Though, like us, it takes a bit to feel at home.

“Getting them over that hump of this is a new area, they’re not completely comfortable in it,” Simon explained. “Getting them to relax in that space, and training, and really building that trust relationship with them, was an incredible experience to have.”

Five Bornean orangutans live here – two males and three females – Ruby, Sepi, Suri,
Denda and Tuki.. It’s pretty easy to tell the males and females apart.

“The males have flanges which is those cheek flaps you see on their sides that we kind of compare to a megaphone. It helps vocalize and push the sound towards that distance,” Simon said.

She added, “The females will keep that short hair, but the males will get — we call them dreads. Because they will become dreaded over time. I’ve seen three-foot-long dreads on males, and even 4-5 foot long on some wild orangutans.”

Simon says they’re extremely intelligent, and the staff tries to provide enrichment 24/7 to match that intelligence.

“They will go and find a specific tool to make sure they can get all the peanut butter or whatever goodie we made in their enrichment.”

The intelligence goes even beyond that.

“As you can tell, I just cleaned that drain. Even though that drain cover has been there the entire time she has to investigate,” she said. “They’re always thinking a step ahead. There’s been studies that have shown that they can think a day ahead.”

In the wild, males often plan in advance to find a mate. But once they do they don’t stay long.

Orangutans spend most of their time in solitary.

“Orangutans are the least social ape. If they have offspring that’s their social connection," Simon explained. "When it’s time for breeding males comes around, but after breeding it’s just mom and baby, and everything that baby learns is from mom.”

One of the things they learn from mom – efficiently using all four limbs!

“They’ve got opposable thumbs on both their hands and their feet, so they will eat with their feet," Simon told us.

"I’ve seen all of our orangutans walk around with romaine in each hand and enrichment in each foot. Kind of doing this weird little waddle walk to get to where they want to go make a nest and work on that enrichment.”

To learn more about how you can help these critically endangered animals in the wild – click here.

You can see these talented neighbors for yourself inside the new Hubbard Orangutan Forest.