NEW ORLEANS — A German zoo is sending its last orangutan to Louisiana, and he’s already learning some English.
Jambi is a 22-year-old Sumatran orangutan, a critically endangered species of the red-haired Asian great apes.
He’ll travel 5,000 miles from Hannover Adventure Zoo to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, where he will join three females: Reese, Feliz, and Feliz’s daughter, Menari.
But first, Jambi must spend about a month out of view at the Dallas Zoo, which is approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a quarantine location for imported primates.
Although Hannover gave Jambi a farewell party Aug. 31, he’s moving to Dallas this week, accompanied by a German keeper and one from Audubon, Joel M. Hamilton, vice president and general curator at the Audubon Zoo, said Friday.
He said Audubon’s keeper needs to learn about both Jambi’s behavior and German-language cues for medical procedures such as “open your mouth” and “show me your fingers.”
“Coming from Germany, (Jambi) may not speak English that well. The Hannover folks have been utilizing more commands in English to help him understand,” Hamilton said. He said the trip, plus a couple of days together in Dallas, “will give our staff a chance to learn some of the German commands so we can continue working on that transition.”
The Hannover Zoo’s two other orangutans moved last year to the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.
Keepers at the Fort Worth Zoo expected to need hand signals because Zora and Kajan had never been exposed to a language other than German. However, zoo spokeswoman Alexis Wilson said, the primates already knew everything they needed to: an open door with food beyond it meant it was time to move.
The species has been drastically reduced, both by hunting and devastation of its habitat from illegal logging and the conversion of rainforests into palm oil plantations.
Hannover decided to stop exhibiting orangutans because its 38-year-old enclosure didn’t meet modern standards, said a statement relayed by the Audubon Nature Institute.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.