Four Bornean orang-utans live in the Ape Centre at Paignton Zoo: male Wousan, female Chinta and her baby Ranbi, and young female Natalia.
This species is native to hilly and lowland tropical rainforests on the Indonesian island of Borneo.
Orang-utans are primarily herbivores in the wild, eating fruit, leaves, bark, buds, flowers and seeds.
Interesting facts!
- Orang-utans are the second largest of the four great apes and are the largest tree-dwelling mammal in the world.
- The name ‘orang-utan’ means ‘person of the forest’ in the Malay language.
- These primates are very intelligent and share 97% of their DNA with humans!
Conservation
Wild orang-utans have global legal protection. Some orang-utans live within protected forests and there are successful rehabilitation programmes for rescued pets and orphans. The main threat to orang-utans today is the loss of habitat due to unsustainable palm oil production, illegal logging and agriculture. Hunting and capture for the pet trade are also significant threats. We are proud to be an organisation that only uses and sells products made from sustainable palm oil.
There are conservation breeding programmes in zoos worldwide including an EAZA ex-situ breeding programme (EEP), that our orang-utans are part of.
Adopt an orang-utan
Adopting an orang-utan at Paignton Zoo will make a real contribution to our important conservation work and the care of our apes at the zoo.
Our adoption packs make a fabulous gift for animal lovers of any age. Prices start from as little as £25 per year (that’s less than £3 a month!) with a variety of packs to choose from.