To celebrate Belayan’s 12th birthday this month, I thought I would take this opportunity to allow you to get to know our 3 orangutans a little bit better and what it’s like to work with the smartest of the smart.
All of the orangs we have at WWP are Bornean Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), native to the island of Borneo. There are two other species of orangutans; the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelli) found only in the North of the Indonesian island, Sumatra and the recently discovered species- the Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) restricted to the region of South Tapanuli also in Sumatra. There is thought to be as few as 800 Tapanuli left in the world. This makes them the most critically endangered Great Ape.
Great Apes cover Orangutans, Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. They are all found on the African continent except the orangs who are the only Great Ape endemic to Asia. In fact, they are the largest tree dwelling mammal in the world. They inhabit the canopy layer of the rainforest, preferring to spend the majority of their time high up in the trees, thus being better protected from ground predators such as tigers, pythons and crocodiles. All three of the orangutan species are classed as critically endangered and are in dire need of help. We are losing thousands of acres of rainforest every day due to palm oil plantations. These are sadly causing the decline of the Sumatran rhino, tiger and pygmy elephant as well as the orangs.
Belayan
Many would argue that Belayan is the most handsome of our orangs. He arrived from Zoo Parc de Beauval in France in 2019 and has quickly become a favourite for keepers and visitors alike.
Bornean orangs can live up to 45 years old in the wild and up to 60 years in captivity. So, at 12 years old, Belayan is still a spring chicken. When a male orang leaves its mother in the wild and becomes a sub adult, they will travel vast distances, socialising with male and female orangutans of a similar age. In captivity, males may reach sexual maturity at around 8-10 years old but this is often much later in the wild.
Orangutans display extreme sexual dimorphism; however, they are unique in having two kinds of sexually mature males. If you look at Belayan’s face, you’ll notice he has a much rounder face that the others. These extended cheek flaps or ‘flanges’ show that he is sexually mature. These ‘flanged males’ are twice the size of females and have very noticeable throat sacs, wide cheek flaps and long shaggy coats. These males tend to be the dominant males in any area. They migrate through large home ranges, monopolizing access to females and warding off other males with long booming roars which are projected by the flanges through the forests.
Below are pictures of Belayan taken in March and September this year. Just look at the size difference in those flanges in just a few short months!!
Jin
Jin came to us from Monkey World in 2019 where he was a bit of a celebrity. This is owing to the fact he is the son of Gordon, one of Monkey World’s most famed primates. I think it’s safe to say, Jin brought his own fan club with him to Wingham as I’ve met several of his dedicated followers who have been to visit him in his new home. That’s not to say Jin hasn’t won any new hearts however, the biggest being his partner in crime, Molly. She is rarely more than 3 feet away from him at any given time!
Jin is a fantastic ape to work with, probably one of the smartest I’ve ever encountered. He is always excellent with his training and picks up new commands very quickly. He is incredibly motivated by food. However, he will get very impatient if you keep him waiting too long. Yes, I have been spat at, had raspberries blown at me and even food regurgitated down my back if I’ve not fed him quick enough!
Jin will also use his cleverness to his advantage; if he finds a loose nail, screw, brick, anything he knows he shouldn’t have, he will come over and show it to me and will swap it for a tasty treat. Sometimes I think he breaks things on purpose, just to get a reward!
Now you will notice the difference in size and face shape between Jin and Belayan even though they are just months apart in age; this is because Jin is a ‘non-flanged male’.
Non-flanged males are also called sub-adult or non-dominant. They are usually a similar size to the females and lack the physical characteristics of flanged males. Subordinate to flanged males, they can often remain in this stage of arrested development for as much as 20 years. They remain sexually mature and able to sire offspring. However, they will develop the characteristics of flanged males at some point. In fact Jin does have the tiny beginnings of flanges appearing now.
Molly
Molly is our only female and was the first orangutan to arrive at Wingham in October 2019. She came from Twycross Zoo in the Midlands and brought a whole heap of personality and sass along with her.
She will always be carrying a blanket or hiding underneath one. Often in the morning she will be asleep on a shelf under a blanket and will stick her head out to see which keeper has come into the house. Then more often than not she will throw the blanket back over her head and go back to sleep like a moody teenager!
Molly came here as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquarium (EAZA) breeding programme. Even though we will not be breeding Molly at Wingham, she will be essential to future breeding programmes at other collections; creating new blood lines and a wider gene pool for the ever-decreasing wild population.
I would say Molly is the most challenging primate I have ever worked with. If she doesn’t want to do something, she won’t do it and there’s nothing you can do to persuade her otherwise. She is a whole new level of stubborn! Molly can scare easily and does get a bit timid if people are loud around her. She reeks intelligence and is constantly looking for new ways to break her enclosure; you know all those broken windows along the orangutan building? They were the work of Molly. She will find anything loose in the enclosure and use it as a tool to keep tapping at the glass to find a weak point until it smashes. And if there’s something broken that wasn’t caused by her, you can bet she egged Jin on to do it!
The true power couple of Wingham, Jin and Molly are inseparable. This is even to the point where Jin will get his dinner and take it to Molly if she is refusing to come in for the night and will share his portion with her. True love in my eyes.
