Wanita certainly led an interesting life. She came to Auckland Zoo as a 22 year old and initially lived in a colony with four other females, a juvenile male and a rotating adult male. Being a social species, she fared much better in a small group with Charlie and Melur. She spent two years in Christchurch, before returning to the zoo’s current world class habitat. Melur’s infant is welcome news - the first orangutan birth at Auckland Zoo since 2005 and the first in the region since 2012.
Originally, Wanita was in a pairing with Isim but following fighting in the other group Gangsa was moved in with Wanita and Isim. Gangsa then turned on Wanita and began ferociously attacking her leading to keepers having to make the decision to move Wanita into the other group with Charlie, Melur and Madju. Wanita's relationship with Melur was interesting to say the least. Both females mainly ignored each other, although would often get into fights over food. Wanita did have a great relationship with Madju though, and would often engage in intense playing with him. Madju adored her, and she was really his only playmate as he grew up as the only infant in his troop. On the other hand, Charlie and Wanita tended to ignore each other most of the time. Rarely coming together for anything. Charlie, and even the other males showed very little interest in Wanita, and even mating with her. It was suggested that Wanita’s hybridity, or perhaps the fact that she has had a partial hysterectomy, might have explained this although they didn't know that for sure. I'm glad Wanita had a great life though. She never got to have any offspring of her own but did serve to be a brilliant aunty and playmate to Madju and the other infants as well. May she rest in peace.
Wanita, Melur and Gangsa were primarily imported to add females to the colony. Following the death of Dara in 2000, Auckland’s colony was reduced to a single adult female and her two offspring and she was becoming overwhelmed by the constant mating attentions of the males. Melur and Gangsa arrived as adolescents and were impressed by the two fully flanged males. Gangsa was especially fond of Charlie and the two developed a close bond. This led to Gangsa becoming possessive of Charlie and was the main reason the orangutans were held in the configurations they were held in. She badly attacked Melur when they were housed with Charlie, so Gangsa was instead placed with Isim and Madju. She in turn attacked Wanita, so Wanita was placed with Charlie and Melur without issue. In my opinion, Wanita’s lack of appeal to the males was her partial hysterectomy. While males of this species will force copulation, there was always females available willing to mate with them and they held greater appeal. Hybrid orangutans make for very attractive mates if Taronga’s records are anything to go by.
Wasn't Horst and Charlie kept seperate originally? Madju was housed with Charlie, Melur and Wanita up until his departure in 2015. Its quite a shame as Charlie and Gangsa were extremely close and to one point they were even considering sending Charlie with Gangsa to Turkey, instead of Isim. Apparently after the seperation Gangsa changed dramatically, becoming more wary and timid around keepers and shared a relationship with Isim were it was like 'roommates'. They never showed any physical interaction. Wanita attacked Melur multiple times, but the keepers considered it to be much better as the attacks weren't as bad as Gangsa's. Most of the time when Wanita would go to attack Melur, Madju would step in to intervene. I find it hilarious that when these attacks would happen, Charlie would just continue eating and watch on, not doing a thing.
Dara, Horst, Indra and Charlie were kept as a quartet of 2.2 until Horst entered adolescence and became aggressive to Charlie. They rotated access to the females on a fortnightly basis and therefore paternity of the three infants born between 1989-1994 was unknown initially. Since Horst and Dara were half siblings, Dara was intentionally bred with Charlie in 1999 to conceive Darli. When the three new females were imported from Taronga Zoo, they were first introduced to Horst. By the end of 2001 they had also been introduced to Charlie (and Indra and Intan) successfully. The females initially got on well and Isim being a juvenile enjoyed their company. The fortnightly rotation of the males continued throughout the early 2000’s. It was unknown who sired Melur’s stillborn infant in 2002 and Madju in 2005. Paternity testing determined the latter was sired by Charlie. Charlie liked the peaceful life and hated the females fighting. He would sometimes intervene. He was sensitive to noise and once a crash of thunder made him go after the females, thinking one of them had caused it.
It’s amazing what goes through their minds lol. A drone flying overhead similarly earned one of them the hair-dryer treatment. They’re not the only apes to regard drones as a threat. In 2015, chimpanzees at the Burgers Zoo took objection to one flying over their exhibit to film them and succeeded in knocking it out the sky.
@Zoofan15 It's interesting seeing that in the studbook how Charlie's move to AZ in '84 was noted down as a loan from Singapore lol well glad SZ ended up deciding that Charlie should live his life at Auckland at some point; will be interesting to see how the two arriving females will bond with Charlie and how their interactions with Melur will be. So great that Melur is pregnant also.
That’s interesting. I assume it meant in the broader context of the breeding programme in that he wasn’t bought or sold. I always thought it was strange Auckland Zoo founded their colony with 2.2 orangutans. Their social behaviour obviously wasn’t well known as 1.2 would have been more practical given the limitations of their facilities. Charlie would have been the favourable import over Horst, given Horst was a half brother of Dara. Sadly the import of the two females from Usti Zoo has been cancelled. This contributed to the decision to breed from Charlie and Melur again. It’s a great loss to the region as the mother of the dyad was a wild born founder.
I thought similarly when I saw them in Auckland a few years after they arrived. Seemed unnecessary to have two males and would create problems later on...
I can only assume they saw how social they were as juveniles and assumed it’d translate into adulthood. I know the two females had a close relationship (described as a friendship by their keeper) up until the death of the older female at the age of 23; but predictably, the males were far from friends as soon as Horst hit adolescence. The exhibit had an indoor playroom (with a visitor viewing window) and various dens. The largest den included a small playroom that was used to house the male not housed with the female group that fortnight. It had a wire roof and you could sometimes see whoever was in there from the boardwalk (even though this was off display). It was used as a maternity annex for Melur (she gave birth in there) and also to seperate off Isim (with Wanita for company) when Melur and Madju rejoined the main group.
@Zoofan15 @Pertinax It probably would have made more sense if Horst had gone to reside at another zoo, would have been good if Wellington had been able to have had the financial resources and room to of also gotten involved with a (Bornean) Orangutan program from at least the mid '80s
Bornean orangutan would have been a great addition to Wellington Zoo. To my knowledge, they’ve only ever kept one male orangutan in their history which was probably due to them being one of the most successful breeders or chimpanzee in the world during the 1960’s-1970’s, which established them as Wellington’s great ape species by the time the postage stamp collection phase died out in the decades that followed. Perhaps they’d be a good replacement for the sun bear, after their inevitable phase out in the next decade or so.
I think Auckland and Wellington made the decision in the past (around the early 2000's I think) to only hold one great ape species each to ensure no major competition. Auckland chose Orangutans and Wellington chose Chimps (keep in mind, back then there were no gorillas in the country and these were the only two NZ zoo's with great apes).
Space also played a part. Auckland’s chimpanzee exhibit had long become cramped and dated (it was a decades old exhibit originally designed for wolves!) and by transferring their troop to Hamilton Zoo, it allowed Auckland Zoo to focus on the endangered (now critically endangered) Bornean orangutan. Auckland’s chimpanzee transfer was well timed, it allowed the zoo to manage a seperate group in the old chimpanzee exhibit and with an unexpected orangutan infant arriving the following year, it was an asset to the management of the colony.
Definitely quite a tiny, cramped enclosure! The keepers called it the fish bowl due to its circular shape with high walls surrounding it. Orangutans made better use of it as they're less active and also more space could be implemented with climbing structures ect.
The exhibit was claustrophobic and highly unsuited to the naturally boisterous chimpanzees. The initial troop of 1.3 young adults and then their 2.0 offspring settled in well, but as the young males matured it created multiple management issues. Mike became a tyrant, bullying all others in the troop and the hand raised females were continually harassed by Lucifer and Luka out of boredom. The move to Hamilton came just in time and restored (comparative) peace to the troop. The orangutans spent most of their time on the elevated platforms on my visits, though Indra enjoyed the ground level viewing window as she previously enjoyed the viewing window in the playroom of the old exhibit. Indra arrived at Auckland Zoo a month before her third birthday and was very humanised due to the keepers having full contact with her in the early years.
Auckland Zoo - Melur gave birth March 20 to a healthy infant: This is Melur’s third infant and the first in the region since 2012: Born on Sunday 20 March at 11.30am, Melur had a quick and straightforward labour without any complications, supported by Charlie and the Zoo’s primate team. So far, Melur is proving to be an exceptionally attentive mum, and her baby (sex yet to be confirmed) has a strong suckling reflex and a healthy grip – both signs he/she is thriving. Today the family will have the opportunity to go outside into their high canopy habitat for the first time with baby. But it’ll be up to Melur if she feels comfortable doing so and also weather dependent – so this may mean visitors won’t see Melur and her baby immediately. However, as she settles into motherhood again, she will regain her strength and willingness to explore her habitat. Auckland Zoo celebrates birth of baby orangutan | Auckland Zoo News
Melur has welcomed an infant born on March 20!! This is amazing news! The first Orangutan born in the region since 2012, and the first at Auckland since 2005! This is both Melur and Charlie's second successful offspring. From their instagram: 'Born on Sunday 20 March at 11.30am, Melur had a quick and straightforward labour without any complications, supported by Charlie and the Zoo’s primate team. So far, Melur is proving to be an exceptionally attentive mum, and her baby (sex yet to be confirmed) has a strong suckling reflex and a healthy grip – both signs he/she is thriving. She’s particularly enjoying making huge nests and cuddling up to her baby in the orangutans inside area – ensuring she holds the baby in the correct position for nursing and is being very gentle and nurturing'. Ah @Zoofan15 you beat me to it, just
Haha I’ve been looking forward to this birth for months - the first in the region in 10 years! It was exciting to hear a couple of years ago that Auckland Zoo had renewed their commitment to holding Bornean orangutans and after the disappointment of the Usti Zoo import being canceled, it’s so satisfying to have a healthy new infant. Melur is an excellent mother and will surely do a great job with this infant. I look forward to seeing them on my next visit.
