Sirih keeps young Edi close to her in the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center. Photo by Jessica Davis
First introduced at the Indianapolis Zoo’s Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center in late February, little Edi is the son of mom Sirih and father Basan, two Sumatran orangutans who among the 12 residents of the unique facility. In 2016, the couple also welcomed their first birth, Mila.
Sirih previously gave birth to a baby girl in 2003 when she lived at the Frankfurt Zoo in Germany. Sirih and Basan were recommended as a breeding pair through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, which helps ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied AZA population.
The International Orangutan Center’s other orangutans are Azy, Charly, Ember, Katy, Lucy, Max, Nicky and Rocky. All these great apes were born in the United States, except for Sirih who was born at a zoo in Germany.
The Center opened in May 2014. Every element of the exhibit was engineered to meet the physical, social and intellectual needs of orangutans. The overall land area of the exhibit is larger than two NFL football fields.
Among the major features of the center, the Myrta Pulliam Hutan Trail is a network of cables, platforms and bridges 45 to 80 feet high that allows orangutans to travel across the Zoo and over the heads of guests. This allows the orangutans to make choices such as where they go and with whom they associate.
The R.B. Annus Atrium, a four-season living space with an internal height of 50 feet, allows orangutans and humans to come together regardless of weather conditions. The Oases consist of two special places where orangutans can go if they wish to be apart from others or for encounters with Zoo staff and visitors. The Oases provide up-close orangutan viewing as they learn, play and rest.
The Community Plaza is an open-air viewing and gathering place. The story of the orangutans’ forest home unfolds in the Plaza with interpretive graphics.
The Skyline is an aerial cable ride with 1,200 feet of track rising 50 feet above the zoo, taking visitors close to the Myrta Pulliam Hutan Trail for a unique perspective on the orangutans (and a stunning view of Downtown).
The Efroymson Family Exploration Hub provides a remarkable window into the orangutans’ world. Observe the orangutans, learn about their relationships to other orangutans and the forest, and discover your role in securing the future for orangutans by making simple choices to help safeguard the forests and sustain them.
There are three species of orangutans: Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli. All three species of orangutans are listed as critically endangered, and their populations are decreasing in the wild.
The word “orangutan” is Malay for “person of the forest.” Orangutans are great apes, along with chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos. It is not correct to refer to them as monkeys. Orangutans do not live in social groups like many other great apes. Instead, they spend most of their time alone, foraging for food in the rainforests, rarely leaving the trees.
VIDEO:Older sister Mila (left) shows affection to young Edi, who’s cradled by her mother, Sirih.
