In this video, Jeremy Barlow of the Phoenix Zoo gives a sneak peek of Duchess’ Bilik at the new orangutan exhibit, Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest.” Bilik is the Malay word for room. This area is dedicated to the 51-year-old Duchess, the oldest Bornean orangutan in North America.

Duchess was born in the wild jungles of Borneo where she was orphaned at a very young age. When she came to Phoenix in 1962, it was determined that she was around 2 years old. She has spent the last 49 years at the Phoenix Zoo. During her life, Duchess has given birth to seven babies. Five of her children have reproduced, and she currently has four living children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild living in zoos across the country. Duchess is very observant and curious about the people who visit her at the Zoo. She loves to watch the crowd just as intently as guests watch her.

Visit phoenixzoo.org/orang-hutan for more information on the new exhibit which opens April 11 to the general public. Phoenix Zoo members can get a special preview of the exhibit April 8-10.

In this video, Jeremy Barlow of the Orangutan Experience team gives a sneak peek of the face-to-face viewing opportunities in the new orangutan exhibit, Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest.” This is the first time face-to-face viewing of the orangutans will be available at the Phoenix Zoo. This unique feature will allow guests to view the orangutans in a whole new way!

In this video, Jeremy Barlow of the Phoenix Zoo gives you a sneak peek of one of the guest areas of the new orangutan exhibit. Check out the Lookout Tower at Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest” and see Duchess, Bess, Michael and Kasih in their new home.

On March 9, 2011, the Phoenix Zoo broke ground on the C.W. & Modene Neely Education and Event Center. The facility, set to open November 2011, will add more than 10,000 square feet of learning space, allowing the Zoo to expand the already-vast array of educational opportunities available to the more than 160,000 children that visit the each year for field trips, summer camps and other activities.

Check out this video of the mandrills at the Phoenix Zoo. Ben Brose tells us some interesting information about these amazing creatures!

Range:
West Africa, (South Cameroon, Gabon, and the Congo)

Habitat:
Tropical Forested Areas

Size:
Head and Body Length: ~ 32 in; Weight: males-55 lbs & females-25 lbs

Gestation:
One young is born after a gestation period of 220-270 days.

Photo by Rick Pascale

Diet (wild):
Eats mostly fruit, seeds, fungi, roots, insects and small vertebrates; will also eat grass.

Diet (zoo):
Omnivore diet. Monkey biscuits, fruits and vegetables.

Life spans (wild):
20-30 years

Life spans (captivity):
40 years

Status:
Listed as vulnerable by IUCN. CITES Appendix I listed

Threats (to the wild population):
Loss of habitat, hunted and trapped for food. Once used as laboratory animals.

Anatomy/Physiology:
Adult males have bluish naked rump, a bright blue and red muzzle, and yellow coloring on “beard”

Habits:
They are both arboreal and terrestrial.

Social/Family units:
Mandrills usually associate in troops of up to 50 individuals.  These troops are lead and ruled by old males.  Occasionally only three or four mandrills are found together.

Communication:
Hoot, grunt, and scream

Defensive/Aggressive behavior:
Mandrills are powerful and can be formidable antagonists as their teeth are well adapted for fighting.   They have the longest canine teeth compared to skull size of any mammal on Earth.

Locomotion:
Relatively longer front limbs aid in ground walking; joint between palm and fingers forms an extension of the arm; walking surface of the hand is the outside of the 4 fingers.

Activity:
diurnal

Any interesting fact:
Their canine teeth are 2.5 inches long and they have the longest canine teeth compared to skull size of any mammal on Earth.