Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation


	Mari born October 24, 1981 Mari, a Sumatran orangutan, came to the Center from a research facility in Georgia where she was part of a language and cognition study. Mari is a very unusual orangutan in that she has no arms. She lost both her arms while still an infant when her mother, in a very agitated state, damaged Mari's limbs beyond repair. In spite of this, Mari is a very able orangutan. She uses her chin to hoist herself up, uses her feet as we would our hands, and she walks upright (or rolls when she wants to get somewhere quickly). Mari quickly adapted to her new environment and now moves with such ease and grace that sometimes we forget that she is missing her arms. When Mari first arrived at the sanctuary in 2001, she spent several months in quarantine (which is standard for new arrivals). Our two resident adolescent male orangutans (Pongo and Christopher) could see Mari every day from their nighthouse and were fascinated with her. They spent many hours watching Mari occasionally trying to get a reaction from her. The first week she arrived, Chris “dressed himself up” with celery stalks around his neck and on his head, and then paraded around in Mari’s view. He kept checking to see if she was looking at him. We’re not sure whether Mari was impressed, but he definitely had her attention. Pongo and Christopher were the first male orangutans Mari had ever seen. She was gradually introduced to both males and for more than two years has lived peacefully with them in their large domed habitat. Mari has also been introduced to Tango, Pebbles, Jam, and Bam Bam and has "adopted" five-year-old Pebbles. She sleeps with Pebbles at night and sometimes shares food with her. Every morning she climbs the ladder to the top of the 30 foot enclosure using her chin and her feet. Mari spends most of the day walking upright through the woods in the chute system. Usually she follows Pongo, Chris, and Pebbles everywhere they go, but occasionally she likes to go out in the woods for time alone. Mari gets along very well with the other orangutans, but if the boys get rowdy, Mari handles them either with a “kung-fu” kick or a spit-in-the-face. Pongo (already much larger than Mari) has been known to retreat into a bucket or tub to get away from the intimidating stare Mari gives him if she’s not in the mood for play. At the Language Research Center at Georgia State University where Mari spent many years before coming to the sanctuary, Mari worked with lexigrams, mazes, puzzles, and memory tasks. She could even solve computer mazes by manipulating a joystick with her feet, a hobby she still enjoys. We are always brainstorming to create different activities for Mari to keep her challenged and active.

Mari born October 24, 1981

Mari, a Sumatran orangutan, came to the Center from a research facility in Georgia where she was part of a language and cognition study.

Mari is a very unusual orangutan in that she has no arms. She lost both her arms while still an infant when her mother, in a very agitated state, damaged Mari's limbs beyond repair. In spite of this, Mari is a very able orangutan. She uses her chin to hoist herself up, uses her feet as we would our hands, and she walks upright (or rolls when she wants to get somewhere quickly). Mari quickly adapted to her new environment and now moves with such ease and grace that sometimes we forget that she is missing her arms.

When Mari first arrived at the sanctuary in 2001, she spent several months in quarantine (which is standard for new arrivals). Our two resident adolescent male orangutans (Pongo and Christopher) could see Mari every day from their nighthouse and were fascinated with her. They spent many hours watching Mari occasionally trying to get a reaction from her. The first week she arrived, Chris “dressed himself up” with celery stalks around his neck and on his head, and then paraded around in Mari’s view. He kept checking to see if she was looking at him. We’re not sure whether Mari was impressed, but he definitely had her attention.

Pongo and Christopher were the first male orangutans Mari had ever seen. She was gradually introduced to both males and for more than two years has lived peacefully with them in their large domed habitat. Mari has also been introduced to Tango, Pebbles, Jam, and Bam Bam and has "adopted" five-year-old Pebbles. She sleeps with Pebbles at night and sometimes shares food with her. Every morning she climbs the ladder to the top of the 30 foot enclosure using her chin and her feet. Mari spends most of the day walking upright through the woods in the chute system. Usually she follows Pongo, Chris, and Pebbles everywhere they go, but occasionally she likes to go out in the woods for time alone.

Mari gets along very well with the other orangutans, but if the boys get rowdy, Mari handles them either with a “kung-fu” kick or a spit-in-the-face. Pongo (already much larger than Mari) has been known to retreat into a bucket or tub to get away from the intimidating stare Mari gives him if she’s not in the mood for play.

At the Language Research Center at Georgia State University where Mari spent many years before coming to the sanctuary, Mari worked with lexigrams, mazes, puzzles, and memory tasks. She could even solve computer mazes by manipulating a joystick with her feet, a hobby she still enjoys. We are always brainstorming to create different activities for Mari to keep her challenged and active.

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