Bornean orangutan

Orangutan means forest man in Malaysian. Orang means forest and utan means human. The correct spelling is therefore "orangutan", which is also the official spelling in all countries other than Denmark.

The orangutan is the only true tree-dwelling great ape. So although it is smaller than the gorilla, it is stronger in the arms as it is more of a climber.
The orangutan's arms can have a reach of up to 250 centimetres.

Orangutans typically give birth to one calf and the female lives with her calf for the first 6-7 years of life. The babies are breastfed for 2-3 years, but during the first year they are also fed chewed fruit and vegetables.

Adult males live alone. They develop a prominent cheek pouch of fat and connective tissue that attracts females as soon as they are sexually mature and dominant.
Males develop a large laryngeal sac that acts as an amplifier when the orangutans roar.

There are three species of orangutan, one found in Borneo and the other two in Sumatra. 
It is estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 orangutans live in the wild in Borneo today, and the population is rapidly declining. 

• Distribution: Lives in the rainforests of Borneo
• Population: Critically endangered, mainly due to deforestation but also due to hunting and trapping
• Weight: Male: 60-90kg. Female: 40-50 kilos
• Height: Male: 140 centimetres. Female: 115 centimetres
• Mating season: All year round
• Sexual maturity: From 8-10 years of age
• Gestation: 260-270 days
• Number of cubs: Usually 1
• Food: Plants: tropical fruits, leaves, shoots, bark. Also insects and eggs. Able to eat unripe fruit, giving them an advantage over other frugivores
• Zoo menu: Fruit and vegetables, fresh branches and monkey pills
• Lifespan: Up to 35 years in the wild. In zoos, the oldest recorded orangutan is 56 years old
• Latin name: Pongo pygmaeus

In principle, an orangutan is far too big and heavy to master tree climbing, but still manages to elegantly navigate its way through the treetops. If an orangutan jumped between the branches, they would simply snap. Instead, the orangutan uses its long arms to stretch from branch to branch and swing forwards. With its huge and strong hands, the orangutan is able to grab onto branches and support its own weight effortlessly. In fact, an orangutan is about ten times stronger in its hands and arms than an adult man.

The orangutan is not only known for its impressive strength, but also for its excellent fine motor skills in the hands, making them extremely adept at using tools to find food. This is evident in their behaviour, such as sticking branches into termite nests to fish out termites or sticking branches into beehives to get honey. At Aalborg Zoo, the keepers spend a lot of time stimulating this behaviour through various activities. In addition, they train the orangutans to allow the keepers to get close to them. This allows the keepers to carry out health checks such as fur tests or dental checks without having to anaesthetise them.

Aalborg Zoo's orangutans

Aalborg Zoo is the only place in Denmark where you can experience orangutans. Aalborg Zoo's orangutans are Bornean orangutans.

In June 2022, male Pal and female Ruti were the first to move into our brand new orangutan enclosure. The large new outdoor enclosure is designed to accommodate the animals' natural behaviour. The facility includes climbing ropes, cosy nesting areas and sway poles that allow the orangutans to move as they do in the wild, and the over 10-metre high enclosure gives the animals optimal opportunities to get up high and get a view and overview. 

The intention is for Ruti and Pal to form a new breeding pair together, contributing to their critically endangered species.