This past October, we hosted two veterinarians from the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation, Dr Vivi and Dr. Muhtadin. We were very excited to host them and learn about their culture and how they care for orangutans at the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF). This partnership between BOSF and the Primate Team was a fantastic way to collaborate and share information between our two organizations. Over two weeks, we worked hand in hand to teach Dr. Vivi and Dr. Muhtadin advanced training techniques to train orangutans for voluntary nebulizer treatments. We worked with Topi, our 7-year-old female orangutan. Topi is knowledgeable and a very eager learner! She does not need nebulizer treatments, but we are training her to use one, as respiratory disease can be shared in orangutans. In addition to nebulizer training, we reviewed how we care for our group of 6 orangutans, other medical behaviors that the orangutans have learned, and our enrichment program.
The veterinarians and the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation have rescued, rehabilitated, and released hundreds of orangutans! Dr. Vivi and Dr. Muhtadin have extensive knowledge of orangutans and their natural behavior and have provided us with invaluable information to continue to provide the best care for our orangutans here at ZooTampa. This partnership is an exciting opportunity for ZooTampa; working hand in hand and sharing information between our two organizations will benefit our orangutans at the Zoo and their wild counterparts in Borneo.
Devon Kopp
Associate Curator of Primates