Farewell for zoo’s Florida-bound orang utans

Three of Auckland Zoo’s Bornean orang utans, two of whom have been part of the zoo family for over a quarter of a century, will relocate to a Florida zoo in late July to assist the captive breeding programme for their species.
A public farewell day is being held in honour of 28-year-old Indra, 31-year-old Horst, and their 20-year-old daughter Intan on Sunday 19 July (10.30am – 3.00pm).

The day will include special orang utan encounters, a farewell album for signing, orang utan conservation displays, and the sale of original paintings by Indra and Horst to raise funds for the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund. The event offers Aucklanders the best opportunity to see the family trio before they leave New Zealand on 27 July – bound for Los Angeles Zoo for a 30-day quarantine before flying to their new home - Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.

The trio will travel on a Cargolux 747 freighter in three specially designed custom-built aluminium crates that each weigh between 200 – 300kg. For the Auckland to L.A. leg they will be accompanied by Auckland Zoo senior primate keeper Courtney Eparvier (who will stay with the trio for the full quarantine period), along with a Busch Gardens vet and curator.

“Indra, Horst and Intan are all amazing animals. As orang utans, they’re 97 per cent genetically the same as us – highly intelligent great apes that we as keepers have built up amazing relationships with, as have locals who’ve visited them regularly, so it’s going to be really sad to see them go. However, the move is a very positive one that will see both Horst and Intan contribute valuable genetics to the U.S. Species Survival Plan (SSP) for this species, and also free up more space for our six remaining orang utans,” says the zoo’s primate team leader Amy Dixon.

“What is incredibly sad to comprehend is that in the 25 years that Indra and Horst have lived at Auckland Zoo and had Intan, orang utan numbers in Sumatra have plummeted to around 7,000 and in Borneo to less than 50,000. This is primarily due to the growth of palm oil plantations taking over this great ape’s rainforest habitat, and if it continues orang utans will be extinct in the wild within the next 12 years.”

“Such a reality highlights the value of international captive breeding programmes like this one Auckland Zoo is involved in, and the urgent need for us all as individuals to do what we can to help save this species. Palm oil is a billion dollar industry. It’s in a multitude of everyday supermarket products, and 96 per cent of palm oil comes from unsustainable sources. We as consumers need to demand that manufacturers stop using palm oil, or only obtain it from a certified sustainable source,” says Ms Dixon.

EVENT DETAILS

• Farewell Indra, Horst & Intan: Sunday 19 July 2009, 10.30am - 3.00pm
• Orang utan Encounters: 12.30pm and 2.30pm, Just Juice Primate Trail
• Central Lawn (10.30am – 3.00pm): Farewell album signing, orang utan conservation displays, paintings by Indra and Horst for sale.
• Normal Zoo admission prices apply. Friends of the Zoo free. Visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

FAST FACTS

Bornean orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Malay for ‘old man of the forest’, the orang utan is the largest tree-dwelling mammal.

Distribution: Tropical rainforests on the Island of Borneo (Indonesia and Malaysia)

Conservation status: Endangered due to growth of palm oil plantations and pet trade.

Reproduction: Only breed once every 6 – 10 years and usually just have one offspring. Auckland Zoo holds the only group of Bornean orang utans in the Australasian region.

ENDS

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