Dumadi hanging on to Madu

ATLANTA– July 26, 2007 – Dumadi, a 9-month-old infant male orangutan who arrived at Zoo Atlanta on June 20, has been successfully introduced to his outdoor naturalistic habitat. He can now be viewed by the public during Zoo Atlanta’s normal operating hours.

Dumadi was orphaned when his mother died shortly after giving birth to him at Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in Indiana. After arriving at Zoo Atlanta, Dumadi was introduced to proven surrogate Madu. With the assistance of Zoo Atlanta’s animal management staff, Madu and Dumadi have successfully bonded over the past few weeks.

Other members of Madu’s family group, including 5-year-old Bernas, have accepted Dumadi as a member of the group. Madu had previously served as surrogate to Bernas. Adult male orangutan Allen, the leader of the group, will be re-introduced in coming weeks.

Newborn orangutans typically weigh less than five pounds and are extremely dependent on their mothers. An infant orangutan generally spends the first eight to ten years dependent on its mother. Second only to humans, this is the longest childhood of any animal. Dumadi’s introduction to a family group was crucial to his healthy development. Orangutans can only learn natural behaviors by watching and imitating their mothers.

Zoo Atlanta is home to eleven orangutans, the largest zoo collection in North America. The collection includes both Bornean and Sumatran orangutans. They live in “The Orangutans of Ketambe,” a naturalistic habitat designed to simulate the diverse terrain of an Indonesian forest. It includes ropes and climbing structures that showcase the fascinating arboreal behavior of Asia’s only great ape species.

The habitat is also home to “The Learning Tree,” a structure that houses a touch-screen computer for use by the orangutans. The computer allows Zoo Atlanta researchers to learn more about the cognitive abilities of this species. During regular demonstrations, visitors to Zoo Atlanta can also witness the activities of the orangutans using the computer.

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