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Zoo’s Baby Orangutan Has a Name!

When a new baby is born at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, animal keepers usually have the privilege of naming the new arrival. But for the zoo’s baby Sumatran orangutan, whose mother, Sayang, died just one hour after his birth on October 22, keepers used a different selection process.

Rather than make this important decision alone, zoo keepers decided to include Tengku, the baby’s father, in the process. “We narrowed it down to two names, but we couldn’t decide between them,” explains zoo keeper Kristen Uebler. “So we let Tengku decide for us.”

Tengku (pronounced tain-KOO), age 20, is an artist of sorts, who frequently employs a paintbrush as part of a zoo-wide enrichment program to provide metal and physical stimulation for animals. Tengku and his exhibit-mate, Melati, occasionally paint pictures which sell for hundreds of dollars at the zoo’s annual fundraising auction. Tengku also uses his paintbrush to choose stocks in a contest against local stockbrokers (he’s winning).

To help Tengku choose his baby’s name, keepers wrote their two favorite baby names on cardboard, then held both for Tengku to study. With his paintbrush, Tengku made his mark on the name he preferred. His choice? Dumadi (pronounced doo-MAH-dee), which translates to “becoming” in an Indonesian language. Sumatran orangutans are native to Indonesia.

Dumadi recently moved from the zoo’s veterinary hospital, where he resided since his birth, to the orangutan exhibit area, where he can see Tengku and Melati. He continues to receive around-the-clock care form zoo keepers and is in stable condition.

No one is going to argue with Tengku about the name he chose for his baby. After all, Tengku’s name translates to “king.”

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