The Greenville Zoo’s female Sumatran orangutan, Lana, and her 8-month-old daughter, Adira, now have access to the orangutan exhibit.
The pair have been off exhibit since early October due to the weather and Lana’s tendency to want to stay outside at night instead of coming indoors. As a result, the zoo staff worked closely with Lana and Adira over the winter months to ensure that they were entertained and had everything they needed.
According to zoo director Jeff Bullock, Kumar, the zoo’s male Sumatran orangutan and father of Adira, turned 14 on April 15 and seems to have settled down quite a bit since Adira was born. Over the winter months, Kumar was able to watch Lana and Adira inside the dens and the family was given opportunities to interact through mesh between the dens. While the three orangutans have yet to share the same space, Bullock believes that when the time comes, it will be a positive experience. For now, the zoo staff will spend time reacquainting Lana and Adira with the exhibit and allowing them to be outside for the entire day.
Once Lana and Adira are comfortable on exhibit, the family will begin taking turns, with Kumar on exhibit in the mornings and Lana and Adira on exhibit in the afternoons. The zoo staff is currently discussing the reintroduction plan and hope to have the family together in one space sometime in May.
Lana was born January 26, 1985 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo in October 1990, where she remained until her transfer to the Greenville Zoo in September 2016. Kumar was born April 15, 2005 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. He was transferred to the Oregon Zoo in November 2014 and then to the Greenville Zoo in November 2016. The two orangutans were transferred to the Greenville Zoo as the result of a recommendation by the Orangutan Species Survival Program. Adira was born August 6, 2018 at the Greenville Zoo.
Visit www.GreenvilleZoo.com for additional information.