• Popo, that's the name of this specimen from the Barcelona Zoo. Now he will become the new dominant male of the group of Bornean orangutans that BIOPARC Fuengirola conserves and protects

More than a year ago, BIOPARC Fuengirola said goodbye to Peek, the male of the group of Bornean orangutans that the park houses. A sudden heart attack left the group without a dominant male. Now and following the guidelines indicated by the Bornean orangutan conservation program of the EAZA, BIOPARC Fuengirola receives a new male: Balu, affectionately called “Popo” by his keepers.

Coming from the Barcelona Zoo, it is a still immature young man weighing about forty kilos that when he becomes an adult will reach one hundred. At ten years old, this specimen is ready to create his own family and become the alpha male of a new group of orangutans. “Popo has a good character, he is sociable and calm. Orangutans become independent around the age of nine, so he is at the natural age to form a new family,” explains Jesús Recuero, technical director and veterinarian at BIOPARC Fuengirola.

A careful transfer and an adaptation period

For transfers between conservation centers belonging to EAZA, Careful protocols are put in place to ensure that during this, the animal does not suffer any type of stress and is in perfect condition. Those who until now were his caretakers and those who will be in charge of it at the Malaga conservation center, travel accompanying him throughout the journey.

Once at BIOPARC Fuengirola, an adaptation process begins through which this great primate will meet its new family. “During the first days of adaptation he was able to see the rest of the orangutans from a distance, hear them, smell them. We then move on to allowing protected contact through a metal mesh door, through which they can be seen and touched up close. They get to know each other, but without being able to come to a possible confrontation. So far everything has been very calm and all the orangutans are friendly to each other.”

Now, Popo already explores and recognizes his enclosure. The last step will be direct contact with the group. “We will do it one at a time. First with Mukah and her son Sabangau. When we see that this is going well, we will do it with Suli and Neo. We will do these first introductions in the interior area, where we have more control and possibilities to intervene if a conflict occurs. Once we see that they get along well, we will let everyone go outside together,” highlights Recuero.

Soon, visitors will be able to meet the new member of the family and see him coexist with everyone else.

The peculiar development of the male until he becomes dominant

The moments in which orangutans have social encounters are few. One of them is the reproductive season. Males emit a loud, booming call that can travel up to a kilometer to warn other males in the area. and to the receptive females in the area. Without a doubt, a call to encounter for some and attention for others.

In nature, these adult and dominant males are dispersed and, as we indicated before, solitary; but defending large territories with several females, as if it were a dispersed harem.

The role of the dominant male is so notable that their presence interrupts or delays the maturation of adolescent males that live in the same environment. This is an adaptive evolutionary strategy. Remaining smaller and immature, even though they can breed with other females, reduces the amount of food they may need to feed themselves and, at the same time, this aspect reduces the risk of serious conflict with the alpha male.

More than 60% of orangutans have disappeared in 40 years

According to data from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), orangutans They do not exceed 104.700 copies. These figures represent 64 percent less than the 288.500 registered at the beginning of the 70s. This organization estimates that, if its decline and the threats that cause it continue at the same rate, most of their wild populations will become extinct in the next 50 years.

The Bornean orangutan, endemic to the island of Borneo, is one of the most emblematic species of primate in the tropical rainforests of the Asian continent. Since the opening of BIOPARC Fuengirola in 2001, then Fuengirola Zoo, The park actively participates in the conservation and reproduction program of the species at the European level (EEP), to help preserve it ex situ.

The Malaga conservation center has been committed to the situation of the Bornean orangutan and its habitat since 2013. Through the Bioparc Foundation, collaborate with the association Borneo Nature Foundation for conservation in situ of the species, through habitat restoration and reforestation actions in the Sabangau forest, in Borneo. In addition, they carry out research activities in the forest, training and capacity development to promote sustainable development and education of populations to protect the island's natural resources.