More news at Chester » Chester Zoo

30-04-2008

Now thats an interesting fact. I suppose chester want to keep both species to highlight both plights.

It will be interesting to see when the second phase is completed whether they will be more active. The sumatrans in my view are more active in their new home (they were quite active in the old house) with the added room in height.

30-04-2008

In Australia the zoos have sumatrans but one teacher at our school demands that the orangs at Melbourne are from Kalimintan, i wish i could show him that they are Sumatran. I read as well that many zoos in America keep Sumatrans as well, then agian i could be wrong so many other zoos out there.
Based on the apperances of the the different species i try to speculate what Rajang might look like, i've heard about him from many places but no good photos have you got any?

01-05-2008

these are off Flickr...

01-05-2008

Thanks CZJimmy, and also Writhed Hornbill. I'm sure I had the names somewhere.

Now does anyone know the names of the male Borneans born in 1983 and 1996. Would the latter be Banghai?

01-05-2008

The former (I983) would be 'Banghi'. He was born at Chester to two parents both on loan(Anak xTwiggy) Twiggy was sent to Twycross but must have spent some time at Chester for mating and then stayed on (unless the parentage is incorrect).

Banghi was later sent to Monkeyworld ,Dorset as a companion for their young female 'Amy'. He fathered one baby 'Gordon' who still lives there. Sadly he died soon after developing his 'pads' as a fullygrown male.

I'm unable to trace a 1996 birth...

01-05-2008

There were formerly a few more Sumatrans in Uk- at Bristol & Twycross, but still very much in the minority in this country. Chester's two breeding females Emma & Subis are the daughters of a male ('Oscar') who was born at Bristol.

The two species really are very different if you study them closely. Sumatrans are more energetic and 'nervous' while Borneans are more phlegmatic and sluggish. I doubt the new enclosures will change their behaviour much at Chester- it is really part of their make-up.

I have text from a guidebook from Philadelphia Zoo in the 1930's- they kept and bred both 'subspecies' and even as far back then they noticed the differences, describing the Sumatrans as 'almost as active as chimpanzees...'

01-05-2008

Good photos. 'Rajang' displays the typical characteristics of most hybrid males.
1. His pads are covered with the short hairs characteristic of a Sumatran, they are not comprised of bare skin covered in 'goose pimples' as in a Bornean. They are not as heavily haired as a pure Sumatran though.

2. His coat resembles the lighter 'butterscotch' tint of the Sumatran.

3.His face shape, pads and dewlap are more reminiscent of the heavier Bornean male, and so is the small 'ginger' beard. Rajang is also about midway in heaviness of build between the two.

Hybrids nearly always display this blend of mixed characteristics.

01-05-2008

Thanks for the photos jimmy, and Pertinax might i ask do most hybrids show this gene i guess they would, but would it make a difference if the parents were swaped around. I mean is there a more ressicive gene through the subspecies gender?

01-05-2008

I'm not too hot with genetics. All I can say is I've seen a number of hybrid Orangutans and which parent is Bornean or Sumatran makes no difference to the offspring that I can see. Each hybrid differs in appearance obviously but they are all usually, like Rajang, a straight mix of characteristics of the two species. Rajang used to have a female hybrid companion called 'Annie' who was born in America. She had a darker maroon-coloured coat like a Bornean, but with a more Sumatran-looking face with a pale beard.

To refer to the Melbourne Orangutans. They're definately not from Kalimantan. The breeding pair and young are Sumatran. There were also one or two hybrids born in the past and still living there- have a close look at it/them and you may see the different characteristics.

01-05-2008

I'll check up on the orangs next time i go there my best bet though would probably be the oldest female, she has many features of the two subspecies. I forgot her name though.

01-05-2008

Is it Kiani? If so I think she may be 3/4 Sumatran as her father was a hybrid too. From memory the original hybrid(s) at Melb were twins(Kiani & Kembar) They looked more like Sumatrans as babies, having light fuzzy coats.

01-05-2008

There is a very good possiblity i'm not hot on orangs, i should ask my parents next time i can go.

Hybrid orangs at Melbourne Zoo
01-05-2008

okay, I've just looked up my records;
.
There are (or were?) two hybrid Orangs at Melbourne.
The older one is/was 'Kiani'- one of the twins born in 1978. Her parents were Bobby x Olga. Bobby was a hybrid, Olga was Sumatran, so as I thought, Kiani is a 3/4 Sumatran hybrid.
The younger one is 'Gabby' born 1990. she is the daughter of Kiani (3/4 Sumatran hybrid) x 'Santan'(Sumatran)- that makes her a 7/8 Sumatran, only 1/8 Bornean but she is still a hybrid...

The higher incidence of Sumatran blood means both look far more like Sumatrans than a straight Bornean x Sumatran cross ( and if I remember correctly that is so) They are actually 2nd and 3rd generation crosses which is quite rare and wouldn't be allowed to happen nowadays.

01-05-2008

I've found the 1996 one now...

'Weston' (Anak x Bella) born 30.1.96. Died 6.5. 97.
(poor little beggar, he didn't make 18 months.....)

I have a postcard of two Chester Bornean females with their young- one pair is Bella & Weston...

02-05-2008

Wow thanks for that info, i might get into orangutans now.