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Dumadi gets a new Mom!
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| Dumadi will soon meet his adoptive mother in
Atlanta, Georgia. |
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After eight months of waiting, Dumadi, the Fort Wayne Children’s
Zoo’s baby orangutan, will soon meet his adoptive orangutan mother at
Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia.
“While we’re sad to see him go, we know this is the best possible
situation for Dumadi,” says Zoo Animal Curator Mark Weldon. “We want him
to be raised by orangutans, not by humans.”
Dumadi has been cared for behind the scenes by zoo keepers ever since
his mother, Sayang, died suddenly just an hour after giving birth to
Dumadi on October 22, 2006. Zoo officials suspect that a blood clot
caused Sayang’s death.
Dumadi has thrived under the zoo keepers’ care. “Our zoo keepers have
done a tremendous job caring for Dumadi around the clock for eight
months,” says Weldon. “Their hard work and professional approach have
made this opportunity possible.”
Dumadi will meet Madu, his adoptive mother, almost immediately after
his arrival in Atlanta. Madu is a 24-year-old female who successfully
fostered another baby orangutan, now five years old. The lifespan of a
captive orangutan is about 50 years. “We are thrilled to have an
experienced orangutan mother available for Dumadi,” says Weldon. “It’s
the best possible scenario for him.”
Zoo officials had been considering Melati, the Fort Wayne Children's
Zoo’s adult female orangutan, as a possible adoptive mother for Dumadi.
But because Melati, age 22, never had a baby herself, and never
interacted with a baby orangutan, she exhibited no strong maternal
behavior. In addition, Melati has had chronic respiratory problems most
of her life and requires daily breathing treatments. A recent physical
exam revealed damage to her lungs, so her health could prevent her from
caring for Dumadi properly in the future. “Orangutans have the longest
childhood dependency of any animal other than humans,” says Weldon. “Mom
actively cares for her baby for six to eight years, and we aren’t sure
that Melati’s health will allow that.”
Tengku, Dumadi’s 20-year-old father, was never considered as a
candidate to nurture Dumadi. “Male orangutans do not participate in the
care of their babies at all,” says Weldon. “The female is completely
responsible for child rearing.”
Once in Atlanta, Dumadi will spend two weeks in a nursery, where zoo
keepers will get to know him and his personality. He’ll then be
introduced to Madu at through wire mesh for about a week. Next, Dumadi
and Madu will have complete physical contact. “That’s exactly what
Dumadi needs,” says Weldon. “These next few months are critical for his
development as an orangutan.”
Helping Dumadi to understand his identity is important because
orangutans are an endangered species. Only about 14,000-25,000
orangutans remain in the wilds of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia, and
experts predict that wild orangutans could become extinct within 20
years due to loss of habitat. Orangutan breeding in North American zoos
is managed by the Orangutan Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a
cooperative program among zoos to maintain genetic diversity within
populations of endangered animals. About 300 Sumatran orangutans live in
zoos around the world. Only 15-25 orangutans are born in zoos worldwide
each year.
Lori Perkins, Director of Animal Programs at Zoo Atlanta and head of the
Orangutan SSP, commended the staff at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo for
the time and effort put into raising Dumadi. “[The Fort Wayne Children's
Zoo staff] has been fantastic throughout this whole process,” she
related by e-mail. “We want to see this end successfully for everyone.”
“The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is part of a huge zoo community in the
United States and around the world,” says Zoo Director Jim Anderson. “We
all work together to do what’s best for the animals in our care.”
“I am very proud of our staff for their dedication to this little
ape,” Anderson says. “We would all love to keep Dumadi in Fort Wayne,
but we need to do what’s best for him.”
Summer Zoo Fun!
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| Come celebrate Tucker's second birthday. |
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Thursday, June 21: Farm Fest
Spend a day “down on the farm” as we explore how products go from the
farm to your grocery store. 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Free with zoo
admission
Wednesday, June 27: Tucker’s Birthday Party
Come celebrate Tucker the siamang’s 2nd birthday with special activities
and a treat for the birthday boy! 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Free with zoo
admission
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