Tree trunks, additional ropes and a new elevated nest are giving Bornean orangutans more opportunities to climb, rest and observe their surroundings from above. Ahead of World Orangutan Day on 19 August, Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna has announced a further expansion of its large outdoor climbing structure for the primates.
First opened in 2022, the climbing area has now been enhanced with robinia trunks provided by the Austrian Federal Forests, additional ropes and another tree nest. Resting areas are also shaded and equipped with a misting system to provide cooler conditions.
“Orangutans spend most of their lives in trees. With our varied habitat, which is cooled by a misting system and shaded particularly around the resting areas, we can offer them many opportunities to express their natural behaviour. This also makes them perfect ambassadors for their highly threatened counterparts remaining in the wild,” said Schönbrunn Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.
Orangutans are exceptionally well adapted to life in the canopy. Their arms are particularly long and powerful, their thumbs are reduced and their feet function almost like hands — adaptations that allow them to climb trees and balance on ropes.
The zoo’s two youngsters, aged three and four, are already skilled climbers. “The little ones already climb like the adults. Of course, they still enjoy being carried by their mothers. That remains a safe retreat for them,” said head keeper Sandra Keiblinger.
The adult male often uses one of the elevated tree nests to rest between climbing sessions. He is also beginning to develop the distinctive cheek pads characteristic of adult male Bornean orangutans.
The situation facing orangutans in the wild remains critical. Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), like all orangutan species, are threatened by the loss and fragmentation of their rainforest habitats in Southeast Asia.
Alongside its work with the population under human care, Schönbrunn Zoo supports the HUTAN project in Borneo, which creates forest corridors to increase biodiversity and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
