Animals - Orangutan house opens at Dresden Zoo: Record investment
Monkey Buzz at the Showdown: Dresden Zoo opened its new Orang-Utan-House on Tuesday, completing the biggest investment in its 163-year history, which cost 22 million Euros and was five million Euros over budget. Nearly three million Euros came from donations. According to Dresden's Mayor Dirk Hilbert, the zoo gains another attraction to draw visitors near and far. Hilbert sees the investment as a contribution to proper animal care and an educational aspect. It's important to develop awareness for the preservation of the rainforest, he said.
The Orang-Utan-House, opened at temperatures close to 30 degrees, resembles a giant donut in shape. The outdoor area for the orangutans is in the middle. The enclosure aims to protect the orangutans better from wind and noise, allowing them to spend more time in the fresh air throughout the year. They also have more space and climbing opportunities, as well as hiding places and play areas in both the indoor and outdoor areas. The house also accommodates other Southeast Asian animal species, including the binturong, a type of palm civet, various snakes like two net pythons, and the three Dresden giant tortoises named Hugo II, Hugo III, and Hugo IV.
Not all of the five orangutans in Dresden have moved to the new quarters yet. The elderly females Djaka and Djudi (both over 50 years old) are still waiting for their move. "Chef" Orang-Utan Toni, along with the females Daisy and Dalai, have already settled in. Toni, who was very lively during the opening, tried to attract attention with the typical orangutan display of self-importance. Toni and Daisy are the parents of the 2015-born Dalai. The Dresden Zoo has been specialized in orangutan breeding since the 1920s. The first orangutan (Malay for "forest man") was born here in the 1920s.
Orang-Utans are an extremely endangered species. According to the Dresden Zoo, there were approximately 85,000 wild orangutans on Sumatra at the beginning of the 20th century, but only 14,000 remained in 2016. Hunting was a significant factor in the population decline, but the clearing of tropical rainforests was the primary cause. In 1985, more than half of the Indonesian island was still covered by forest, but only a quarter was forested 30 years later. The clearing is mainly for tropical hardwood. Orang-Utans are perfectly adapted to living in trees.
The Dresden Zoo was founded in 1861 and is the fourth oldest German zoo, after those in Berlin, Frankfurt/Main, and Cologne. It houses over 1,000 animals from about 200 species on approximately 13 hectares of land in the Großen Garten.
Dresden Zoo
- The new Orang-Utan-House in Dresden Zoo, which cost 22 million Euros and was funded partially by donations, was opened for the orangutans, offering them a better-protected environment in the rainforest-like enclosure, especially during hotter months.
- As part of the Southeast Asian animal species in the Orang-Utan-House, Dresden Zoo also accommodates binturongs, two net pythons, and three Dresden giant tortoises named Hugo II, Hugo III, and Hugo IV.
- Despite being 50 years old, the elderly females Djaka and Djudi are yet to move to the new Orang-Utan-House, whilst the more lively orangutans like Toni, who was born in the 1920s and is the parent of Dalai, have already settled in their new quarters.
- Orang-Utans, once numbering approximately 85,000 in the wild on Sumatra at the beginning of the 20th century, today face severe endangerment, with only 14,000 remaining in 2016, primarily due to habitat destruction caused by the clearing of tropical rainforests for tropical hardwood.
