With a health check, birthday party and a whole lot of hot weather fun, it’s been a busy few weeks for our Sumatran Orangutans!
Orangutans share 97 per cent of our DNA and many scientists consider the species to be the smartest of all great apes. So are you curious to know how Kluet and Puspa have spent the first month of 2019?
Read on to find out!
Date with the dentist
Vet team prepares Kluet for his health check.
Kluet kicked off the New Year with a visit to Adelaide Zoo’s Animal Health Centre for a dental check-up.
During regular training sessions, Kluet’s keeper friends are able to check his overall health, have a look at his teeth and even perform a quick brush.
Dr Miller cleans Kluet’s teeth.
So when keepers recently found some of his teeth looking a little wobbly, it was time to book a date with the dentist!
Our friends at North Adelaide Dental Care sent a specialist over to meet with Kluet and get to the root of the problem.
Under general anesthetic, Dr Greg Miller was able to clean the giant ape’s mouth and remove a few problem chompers.
Plus, our veterinary team performed X-rays and blood tests to check our boy is in tip-top shape.
Once he was given a clean bill of health, Kluet recovered quickly in his home. It didn’t take long until he was munching on his favourite veggies again!
Fun in the sun
Puspa gives her lawn a water.
This January, Adelaide had it’s hottest day in over 80 years! Naturally, Adelaide Zoo keepers worked very hard making sure all their animals stayed cool and comfortable during the intense heatwave.
Sumatran Orangutans are native to the rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia where the warm tropical climate cycles through a wet and dry season.
With string of hot, dry days over 40 degrees on the horizon, it was time to break out the hot weather enrichment!
This enrichment is a win-win for both mental stimulation and beating the heat.
While Kluet preferred to stay inside, Puspa kept cool with hose play! She cleverly poked holes in the tube to have multiple streams of water to splash about in and gave the lawn a nice big drink.
The cheeky girl even tried to share the love and spray some of her keepers with the hose.
Birthday bash
Time for presents and popcorn!
Ending the month on another high, Puspa was treated to a birthday surprise!
Keepers decorated her indoor room with streamers and presents to celebrate her 44th trip round the sun.
It didn’t take long before she tore into her present to snack on the delicious popcorn waiting inside.
As a tidy orangutan, Puspa decided she needed to meticulously clean and pack all her decorations away.
In fact, Puspa will often mimic her keepers when they clean around her enclosure!
Want to find out what Kluet and Puspa are up to today? Race on in to Adelaide Zoo find out!
