There are hybrids of Sumatran-Bornean Orangutans in captivity for sure such as at the Smithsonian National Zoo (4). I'm not sure, however, if Tapanuli and Sumatran Orangutans are kept but most definitely not known about. Their ranges do not currently overlap, however, they more than likely did at some point in time. My assumption is that with this prolonged isolation from each other, the differing traits were bred out by the majority of orangs in the much larger Sumatran orangutan population, north of the current Tapanuli. **By the way the last two wild-born orangutans in North America are held at the Toronto Zoo and the Oregon Zoo.
Update about the status and threats of the Tapanuli orangutan : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...qvt5dR6_UgSjVfVL6Iqm0Sq1-uL9LiFginSEUH8FQCXLQ
Are there any plans to rename the Sumatran orangutan? The Tapanuli orangutan being considered a new species and not a subspecies, the fact that it also lives on Sumatra can cause confusion. Indeed, we suddenly have the sumatra orangutan which is the majority on the island of Sumatra and the Tapanuli which also lives on Sumatra ..? Another small question: what about the captive population of this orangutan (past, current and future)?
No, and I'm sure there will not be any. Shall we move on and rename the Chinese Giant Salamander then? Now that that species has been split into multiple, should the Chinese Giant Salamder be renamed because it can be confused with South China Giant Salamander. Nevertheless, it's not good enough of a reason to rename a species, as first of all, you can easily still know that the two species are different, and if people are confused my the location in the name, Tapanuli is still a location. Second of all, the two species are still distinguishable by scientific name as well. None at all, never. If I recall correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong, I know @ShonenJake13 could as he is an ape expert ), P. tapanuliensis was a newly discovered population of animals in 2017, and instead of assuming the population as a ssp. or population of P. abelii, they ran genetic tests which showed that this newly discovered population was indeed it's own species. It was not split from the existing species, rather a whole newly discovered population and species.
No, you are completely wrong. Orangutans have been recorded from within the (former) range of the Tapanuli Orangutan since the late 1800s, but for most of the 20th century they went unrecorded. The currently-known population was rediscovered in 1997, and they have been studied quite a bit since then. The split as a distinct species was in 2017, but this population had been known to science for the previous two decades, during which they were considered to be just an isolated population of Sumatran Orangutans.
To be precise - none ever recorded, and it's relatively unlikely, but it cannot be entirely ruled out given the fact that some animals in the captive population (although wild-caught) were obtained from animal markets, rescue situations, seizures and other such situations where the precise locality of origin is unknown.
So it is quite possible that a few individuals of this species have been introduced and are now genetically mixed with Sumatra ...
New threat for the Tapanuli Orangutan : Revealed: Newly-discovered orangutan species is 'being driven to extinction' by British firm’s goldmine
Could Tapanuli Orangutans be kept in captivity? I'd assume their care is relatively similar to Bornean and Sumatran Orangutans.
I guess we could, given that enough facilities can house these animals and a studbook is created. However action also needs to be taken to protect their habitat, otherwise this species could never be reintroduced into the wild.
That is true, but if the species goes extinct there aren't going to be any individuals left to reintroduce into their newly-conserved habitat. It seems like something that would have to happen at the same time - saving the habitat and conserving the species in captivity.
Definitely! Both need to happen at the same time, or first start by rescuing the Orangutans and then start by saving the habitait.
Given that both orangutan species already kept in captivity already need all the space they can get and in Europe are not doing as welll as Bonobo and Gorilla, I would not think captive breeding is the best solution. Great apes use a lot of space and money and with 2 out of 3 already represented, the necessary funds could be much better invested in other species. Especially as Tapanuli Orangutans are barely distinct anyways...
They look identical (outwardly anyway) to other Sumatran orangutans. I wonder just how different they really are or how they warrant this 'seperate species' classification.
