Prodigal son is back and he’s on a promise

Richard Collins looks at the role zoos play in saving the orang-utans.

SIBU, Dublin Zoo’s senior male orang-utan, has returned to town, having spent the last seven years at Rhenen Zoo in the Netherlands. He was expected to become a daddy to several babies but he managed to sire only one youngster. Still, it’s better than nothing and he has other abilities. According to zoo director, Leo Oosterweghel, Sibu is an excellent vocalist; he gives a fine rendering of the ‘long call’ which male orang-utans use to defend their patch. The prodigal son will be in quarantine for about six weeks after which he will join the zoo’s three females for a happy reunion.

Orang-utans live to about the age of 40. Thirty-year-old Sibu is getting on a bit but the zoo has a younger male, away in Britain at present. These primates are in big trouble; one species may be extinct within 10 years. It’s of crucial importance, therefore, that healthy zoo populations be developed and the stud-book holders want the Dublin males to contribute their genes to the pool. Orang-utan childhoods are long and it takes time to build up numbers. It’s recommended that females in zoos should breed every seven years or so.