Shows his hybrid characteristics- the little hairs on his cheekpads(but not as hairy as a pure Sumatran's) and a slight yellowish tinge to the coat. His beard- hidden in this pic- is short, like a Bornean's.
Zoo Days ended when it showed him being transported to the new Orang enclosure didn't it ? What they didn't mention was anything about his companion Djambe, which was a bit odd, i.e. to talk about the effect of the move on one, but not the other. Presumably this was because by the time that episode was broadcast, Djambe had unfortunately passed away and perhaps such news wasn't considered suitable for a family aimed show ? Rajang seems to have adapted well to the 'Forest'. Just as he used to, he spends a lot of time sitting up against the glass watching his fans watching him. I've only ever seen him climb up to the 2nd tier of the indoor enclosure once and that was a blink and you miss it moment. Similarly, he doesn't seem that keen on going outdoors (I go to the zoo about evry 3 weeks on average) ..... I think I've seen him out there very briefly just twice. You probably know that Tiga, an 8 year old male from Twycross arrived in June (from memory). They seem to get on fine and I've seen them playing 1st thing, though Tiga is by far the more active. Pertinax ...... when I saw Lone Droscher Nielsen at Colchester, she was making the same kind of observations about Rajang as you have !
I've seen him outdoors and he is more active than during his later years in his old enclosure. What you have to remember is he is elderly now and so you wouldn't expect him to do much climbing anyway. He probably is outside more in the summer than in the winter but I've seen him outside for a few times.
I think you'll find Djambe died quite a long time before Rajang was moved to the new enclosure. So effectively Colchester only had one Orangutan by then. Most hybrid Orangs usually show a 50/50 mix of the characteristics of both parents, but it can show in different ways (pads, coat colour, beard etc) Rajang is pretty typical.
I'm pretty sure she was moved and then died about a week or so later ........ Yep ........ have just found this: Loss of Djambe
Of course she was! I think I'm losing it!! That would be why it wasn't featured in the T.V series- not a 'good' result..
I just thought the way the show dealt with the move to Orangutan Forest was rather ironic and possibly in poor taste. A big deal was made of Rajang's move at his 'advanced' age ..... how risky the sedation was and so on. If I recall correctly, they spun it out over 2 episodes .... with one finishing on a 'cliffhanger' as to whether or not he would 'make it' (across the zoo safely). Obviously, he did and the next episode confirmed the happy ending. But I thought then it was somewhat insensitive to use artistic licence like that - 'tune in next time to see what happens to Rajang' - given what happened to Djambe so soon after the move. I appreciate that the move itself didn't kill her but I suppose that apart from bringing down a lighthearted family show Colchester wouldn't have wanted to make any sort of association between the move and her death soon after.
