Jersey's Durrell wildlife park says orangutans are pregnant

Two of the Sumatran orangutans at Jersey's wildlife park are expecting babies this spring.

Keepers at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust said 30-year-old Anette is due to give birth in April, and 25-year-old Dana is due in May.

A spokesman for the ape keepers said both babies had been fathered by 27-year-old Dagu.

He said the pregnancies were a sign both the orangutans were happy and healthy.

Gordon Hunt, deputy head of mammals at Durrell, said: "Our six orangutans, hopefully soon to become eight, are a vital genetic reserve and powerful ambassadors for their wild cousins, whom most people will never see, but can have a huge impact upon their future.

"We have an excellent orangutan enclosure and consequent breeding success... these births will be very important."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-21019564

Forest corridors are vital to survival of Sumatran orangutans

The destruction of the rainforest is not the only problem: A change of strategy is needed to save the Sumatran orangutans

October 2012. The orangutans in Sumatra are in danger of becoming extinct. Anthropologists from the University of Zurich have proved that the Sumatran orangutan has suffered a drastic decrease in population recently.

For the first time, they studied the genetic make-up and migratory behaviour of these animals. They discovered that the population is divided into several sub-populations which existed long before the destruction of the rainforest, so they are of a geographic origin.

Some good news
While this population structure does not help preserve the species, there is some good news: Young male orangutans overcome their disadvantages with lengthy journeys. This finding leads to the discovery of a strategy that could save these critically endangered apes.

Orangutans are the only large apes in Asia and are mostly arboreal. There are two species orangutans, 1 in Sumatran and 1 in Borneo: While the Borneo population lives in large sections of Borneo, the Sumatran orangutan is only found at the northern tip of Sumatra. With a current population of only around 6,600 Sumatra orangutans, a figure which is dropping rapidly and constantly, this species is on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/orangutan-forest-corridor.html