Pongo abelii

Sumatran orangutans are the largest arboreal primates and the most recognizable of primates. They have long, red-orange hair covering their bodies, fleshy faces, and sport average arm spans of 7 feet! These highly intelligent primates have evolved prehensile hands and feet with opposable thumbs and toes, respectively, which enables them to firmly grasp branches and use tools. Their cognitive ability to identify something as a tool and be able to use it as such has led them to employ sticks and branches to extract insects, honey, or fruit from hard-to-reach places. Furthermore, these clever primates have been observed manipulating leaves to manufacture “gloves” for handling prickly fruits. Unfortunately, these great apes are a critically endangered species and are confined to a small region on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where their decreasing population is affected by habitat loss due to logging, burning, mining, palm oil plantations and road construction. Poaching and infants sold into the illegal pet trade also pose threats to their existence.

Conservation Status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

How to Help

ROUND UP for Conservation at the Zoo’s Restaurants, Concession Stands, and Gift Shop.
Donate your change (ROUND UP to the nearest dollar) and support our conservation efforts.

Become an El Paso Zoo Volunteer. Contact Ms. Toni Lopez, our volunteer coordinator.
E-mail:  [email protected]  Phone:  915-539-9130

Join the Zoo as a member and encourage others to visit the Zoo. Membership dues and entrance fees support all of our conservation efforts.

The Zoo is supporting the Orangutan Safe Program, and you can too.

Avoid products that contain unsustainable palm oil. You can help save critically endangered orangutans and other wildlife by becoming an informed consumer.

Sign up to become a Conservation Ambassador and help others connect with our orangutan family.

Fun Facts

• A family of four orangutans currently lives at the El Paso Zoo – mother Ibu, father Butch, and their two offspring, older female, Khaleesi, and younger male, Zaini. Expressing paternal instincts is not a common behavior amongst male orangutans, but Butch does spend time with his offspring and cares for them. In the wild, Sumatran orangutans can live between 44 and 53 years. Under human care, they can live over 55 years.
• A group of orangutans is called a buffoonery, which reflects the playful and mischievous nature of orangutans. Compared to other great apes, however, Sumatran orangutans live semi-solitary lives. During times of high fruit availability, they do come together and form temporary aggregations known as parties!
• The name orangutan is based on two separate local Indonesian Malayan words: “orang” (people or person) and "hutan” (forest). This translates to a person of the forest. They spend up to 60% of their time foraging and eating, and, although they can occupy large home ranges, the most they travel a day is half a mile.
• The orangutans are fed a variety of foods that include carrots, oranges, pears, squash, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, yams, grapes, bell peppers, melons, bananas, corn, and hefty amounts of Romaine and Green Leaf lettuces and Mustard/Collard greens. They also receive high-fiber biscuits specifically formulated for primates. In the wild, Sumatran orangutans are omnivores, but 60% of their diet is made up of fruits. The remainder includes leaves, stems, insects, tree bark, honey, flowers, bird eggs, ants, and termites. Unique to the Sumatran orangutan diet is the meat of the slow loris, although this is considered a rare and opportunistic behavior.
• Orangutans are the slowest breeding primates of any terrestrial land mammal, giving birth once every 8 to 9 years. Females mature between 9 to 15 years of age and males at 15 to 24 years of age. A female will typically have her first infant at 15 years old, with a gestation period of 7.5 to 9 months. She will typically give birth to one infant, rarely twins. Orangutans are nursed until the age of 5 and become fully independent at age 9. Females will stay longer to learn about motherhood and males will leave on their own.