A lasting tribute to a special individual

Hi Zoo Atlanta fans,

Primate Team members Brittney and Lynn here, and we just wanted to share with you something cool that several Zoo Atlanta teammates did to honor someone special. Back in March, we unexpectedly lost one of our beloved orangutans, Dumadi. Things have not been easy for our teams this year, but we wanted to find some way to come together and pay tribute to “Little D” for his birthday on October 22. A few of us got together and purchased trees in Malaysia through APE Malaysia, a conservation organization. APE Malaysia is working to create new forest corridors which will re-connect fragmented forests to create larger forested areas. We were able to purchase 27 new saplings, and they were planted in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. The trees will be maintained for a year, which includes clearing of weeds and vines. In just five years, these trees will grow up to 5 meters in height, and in less than 10 years, they will converge with the rest of the trees to form the forest canopy! Hopefully these trees will eventually be home to monkeys, gibbons, birds, and even orangutans! We felt that helping to create forested areas for wild orangutans was a wonderful way to honor Dumadi’s memory and celebrate his birthday.

Lynn Y. and Brittney L., Primate Team