Keju and her BFFs

Hi, everyone! My name is Hannah, and I am one of the Orangutan Keepers here at Zoo Atlanta. I want to educate y’all on one of our very personable orangutans we care for here, named Keju, and the ways we facilitate flexible housing with her. Keju is a female Bornean orangutan who is currently 11 years old, and lives with one of her BFFs, the 16-year-old male Sumatran orangutan named Remy. Keju’s other BFF, Pongo, is a 13-year-old male Sumatran orangutan who lives in the habitat near them. 

Now, before we swing into things, some background information is needed to provide the best husbandry care for our primates. In the wild, orangutans are naturally solitary animals, meaning they typically do not interact much with each other than for breeding purposes or mothers raising their offspring. Adult males are known to be very territorial and no do interact with other males in the wild. Female orangutans travel between multiple males’ territories and choose who they want to spend their time with. Other than that, they spend the majority of their day alone foraging for food and sleeping. Bornean and Sumatran orangutans do not interact in the wild due to inhabiting different geographical islands; Borneans are native to the island of Borneo, and Sumatrans are native to the island of Sumatra. In addition, here at Zoo Atlanta, Keju is on birth control to reduce the chance of pregnancy with either male she interacts with. There is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) that determines the breeding management of orangutans (and other species) based on genetics, and currently none of these three individuals are recommended to breed. So, with this information, we have a better idea of orangutan husbandry which helps us provide better wellbeing for Keju and all our orangutans.

Here at Zoo Atlanta, animal care professionals are able to manage flexible housing with Keju and some of the other orangutans in order to give them more choice and control, as well as provide more social opportunities for them on a daily basis. Flexible housing provides the option of different social groupings (which also includes alone time) or even provides access to different habitats. Giving Keju the opportunity to choose where and with whom she would like to interact for the day gives her the ability to decide how she wants her day to go and gives her the ability to tell us who she wants to hang out with. Both Remy and Pongo have very different personalities, and this plays a big role in Keju’s choice. Remy is a quiet and chill orangutan who typically shares all his food with Keju and likes his quiet time, while Pongo is a more active, rambunctious orangutan who is always on the move. Since all three are still young, they have a lot of energy and like having the ability to have different social dynamics. Over time, the animal care professionals here at Zoo Atlanta have learned to understand Keju’s choice through means of shifting, vocalizations, and behavior. This helps provide more flexible housing that keeps Keju, Remy, and Pongo stimulated and provides different social dynamics daily.

Working with orangutans is a fun and challenging job, and every day we strive to provide the best care for all of the animals here. The orangutans we care for are very intelligent and love to interact with us (we only interact at a distance through a protective barrier – we never share the same space with them). All the time we spend with them helps us form strong relationships and helps us understand the choices that our orangutans make and would prefer every day.

Thanks everyone, and make sure to swing by to visit Keju and her BFFs out on Orangutan Habitat 2 next time you visit Zoo Atlanta!

(photo: Hannah C.)

 Hannah C.
Keeper II, Primates