I visited the Zoo two weeks and got the chance to take these pics of a female orangutan. While I'm no expert in the species - and so this can be a quite stupid question - I found her belly very weird, as she had a strange "mass" hanging. I'm attaching some pics.
Hi, THere are 2 possibilities: 1 - She is pregnant in a very advanced stage. 2 - She may have diabetes, some primates get big abdomens, I saw this in chimps and spider monkeys. Cheers
Could it just be excess fat? For example the animal may have been highly obese previously and when the orangutan has lost weight has left fatty deposits behind. A great exmaple was a mongoose lemur at Bristol zoo, which had like a big ball dangling form its chest.
Foz, It can be but then Lisbon Zoo neglected a lot his orangutans, I think there is no Zoo in 2010 that would let such things happend. Not in Europe! Looking this balls I can only suppose that she lost about 20-30 kg ! The best way Cinde is ask Lisbon Zoo! This dont have any thing of normal!
It's been a few years since I've seen the female at Toronto pregnant, but I can remember her belly just being very rotound. It looks like this female has fat deposits, but I could be wrong.
It is very unusual. It isn't pregnancy- as you said that gives a tight, rounded abdomen. Foz's suggestion of sudden massive weight loss in a formerly obese animal is a good one- though I've never seen it in an Orangutan before. Another suggestion might be some sort of tumour or abnormal skin growth? The only way you will find out for sure is asking the Zoo people- I'd be interested in the answer.
Pertinax! Ye I forgot the possibility of a tumour! But need to be a big one! I think the vets would remove it emmediatly as soon as they notice the tumour and not let him grow at this point, in such a avanced condition removal is not a good option. Im also interest to know what it is exactly!
