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Orangutan Enclosures

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by jay, 3 Aug 2007.

  1. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
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    Location:
    england
    Quote 1. I don't know if its Leipzig. Paignton's have access to a complete grove of tall trees(willow and poplar?) the island being surrounded by a wide water moat. But you can see they hardly(if ever?)climb them- no tree damage, no nests etc.

    Quote 2.- Perth- it all sounds a lot better than it looks from a photo, and with good enrichment too. I'll bet too they are very active because they're Sumatrans....( tho' I must say some of them weren't particularly active in the old style enclosures when I saw them some years ago as there was very little scope for them then.)

    Quote 3. Yes, the problem is readjustment. At Paignton, two of the original females were middle/aged or old and had lived in regulation cages in the old Monkey House, and then in the Sobells at London Zoo. Bulu, the older one was even born there in 1961 and the other was very obese and could hardly get off the ground (she later died). Its the same as suddenly offering parrots which have lived in small cages all their lives, their freedom to fly, they can't do it. In Paignton's case, a group of young animals (or more active Sumatrans) might have quickly readjusted to these good surroundings and used them more.