A day with Keju

Hey there! I’m one of the Zoo’s newer Primate Keepers, and today I’d like to take you through a day caring for the youngest of our group, Keju! So let’s take an adventure through the dense rainforest of Sumatra and Borneo here at Zoo Atlanta.

The morning begins bright and early. Keju is waiting on caregivers to arrive with her morning bottle, containing formula that is vital for her growth. Once everyone has consumed their morning meal, we circle back for the first of three fruit/vegetable feedings we offer baby Keju. Typically she loves her sweeter fruits prior to going and exploring her habitat, so she chows down on some apples and bananas. Once they have finished eating and participating in any positive reinforcement training activities we may have in the morning, we are ready to shift the orangutans outside for the day. Have you seen Keju exploring Habitat Two? She’s beginning to be quite the independent youngster as she plays and explores away from mom Madu and picks on her adopted brothers.

Once we’ve cleaned the orangutans’ bedroom areas, we begin feeding their midday fruit. Typically Keju just has her sweet potato and carrots left, and we all know how yummy carrots can be! While feeding baby Keju, we observe everyone to make sure they’re doing well throughout the day. Orangutan babies, especially surrogate-reared babies like Keju, require quite the special attention from keeper staff. Once we’ve made sure everyone is doing well and have hung out a bit, we head to get the night rooms ready for bedtime. Once all the orangutans have eaten their dinner, it’s time for bed. Keeper staff give plenty of fresh hay daily for the orangutans to build nests that are unique to their standards. Before we turn out the lights, it’s time for Keju to have one more bottle! Bringing our day to a conclusion, as well as this blog posting, I hope you have a great day and I’ll see you around Zoo Atlanta.
Bret Pilney
Keeper I, Primates