Pongo
born
August 16, 1990
Pongo is a handsome young male orangutan whose cheek pads have grown quickly as he matures.
When he was
nearly eight years old, Pongo was moved to his permanent sanctuary
home in Wauchula where he is currently housed with three other
orangutans, Christopher
(two years younger), Mari (older adult
female), and Pebbles (a six-year-old,
female). They spend their days traveling through the forest woods
in the elevated tunnel chute system or hanging around in their 30
foot tall geodesic dome with large oak-tree climbing structures. He
brachiates (swings arm-over-arm) through his domed habitat
on the many swinging vines provided.
The outdoor areas are attached to indoor night quarters,
and Pongo takes his blankets up into a canvas hammock every night
to make his nest for sleeping. He occasionally likes to sleep
outside at night.
The
orangutans have a wide variety of play
materials including barrels, culverts, tires, fire hose
swings, barge-rope vines, giant rubber tubs for pools,
as well
as more naturalistic toys such as tree branches, banana leaves,
palm fronds, coconuts, bamboo poles, and sand piles. Pongo likes
playing in water, and runs or swings through the sprinklers.
He’ll often drag one of his big tubs over to his drinking spigot
and fill it with
water to splash in.
Pongo has
just started making the adult “long-calls” and every once-in-awhile,
as his almost adult voice changes, he makes strange growling or
bellowing sounds which seems to surprise him as well as the staff.