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Biggest Loser: Orangutan StyleLinda M. Velasquez, LVTPrimate KeeperLouis DiVincenti, DVMAssociate VeterinarianSeneca Park ZooRochester, NY

Introduction We have three Borneanorangutans at Seneca Park Zoo Kumang is our 34 year oldfemale Dara is her 12 year olddaughter Denda is our 9 year old male –came to us last year fromBrookfield Zoo The focus of this presentationis on our females

The Excuses We are learning more and more about the problem of obesity incaptive orangutans and . We knew our females were “big”, but . Kumang, our 34 year old is a large female, she is big boned! Her daughter, Dara, just takes after her! Kumang is a grandma, she has had 3 children, give her a break!

More Excuses We did separationtraining last year for thetransfer of Datu toMadison, WI. We hadto give them extratreats. After all, the vet staffneeds to establish arelationship with them!And so on .!

Facing Reality We were not weighing ourorangutans on a regular basis Our last recorded weights were:March 2011 - Kumang (200 lbs.)August 2011 - Dara (140 lbs.) Done during routine PE, not as atrained behavior Our girls were overweight and weneeded to make it a priority!

What’s the BIG Deal? 2012 OrangutanHealth Survey– Obesity 3rd mostserious health problemfacing captiveorangutans Behind respiratory andcardiovascular diseaseTaman Safari ParkJakarta, Indonesia– 50% of institutionsdiagnosed obesitywithin last 10 years

Obesity Cardiovascular keDeep Venous Thrombosis Diabetes Osteoarthritis Endometrial, breast, andcolon cancer Menstrual disorders /reduced fertility

Implications for Orangutans During the period between2010 and 2012, mostorangutans were 20-30yrold at time of death 5/7 cardiovascular relatedfor last year Seneca Park Zoo– Jiggs – dead at 34 – stroke– Lowell – dead at 21 –myocardial fibrosis

A Primer of Orangutan NutritionInformation DrawnExtensively FromDeb SchmidtOrangutan SSP Nutritionist

Orangutan Diets Average Body Weightsfor Free Range Animals– Males 86kg– Females 39kg Caloric Intake– Fruiting SeasonDependent 3,800-8,400kcal/day males 1,800-7,400kcal/dayfemales

Daily Diets Frugivores– Opportunistic Though LeavesBarkPithFlowersInsectsHoneyMeat (?) Consume 1-2% body weight per day

Daily Diets Precise nutritional needs of orangutans notactually known Most extensive research based on work byCheryl Knott in Gunung Palung National Park– Energy Expenditure Males 3,400 kcal/day Females 1,900 kcal/day Maternal Females 2,400 kcal/day

Wild Orangutan DietFood Flowers46-57%Whole Fruits50-65%Pith51-82%Source:Cheryl Knott

Analysis of Zoo-Fed 23%19%LeafyGreens18%15%19%Source: Deb Schmidt

Not All Fruit Created Equal Fruits eaten inthe wild havemuch higher fiberand lower sugarconcentrations

Gastrointestinal Physiology Intestinal tract different among primates– Orangutans and gorillas share long large intestine Ability to ferment fiber– Humans and chimpanzees have shorter andsmaller large intestine More omnivorous

Sources of Calories Protein Fat Carbohydrates– Free Sugars– Starch– Fiber

Fiber Fermentation Mammals do notproduce digestiveenzymes to degradeplant fiber Intestinal bacteria breakdown fiber and excretevolatile fatty acids(VFAs)

So what should we feed orangutans? Special Adaptations– Consume a significant number of calories, which isstored as fat– Survive on low quality, extremely high-fiber fooditems during non-fruiting periods Only the first is needed for life in zoos

Diet Recommendations High Fiber Primate Biscuits15%– Feed individually Leafy Green VegetablesVegetablesFruitRoot Vegetables57%17%7%4%

Increase Fiber Offer fruits as raw and unpeeledReplace soft fruits with hard fruitsIncrease greens and browseUse highest fiber primate biscuits possible

Caloric Requirement FormulasDaraWeight 67kg15% Weight Loss 57kg57kg x 40kcal/kg/day 2,280kcalOriginal diet provided 6,000kcal injust biscuits!!!

Dara’s DietFood CategoryOriginal DietWeight Loss DietBiscuits2,200g107gLeafy Vegetables2.5lbs1,300calVegetables2.5lbs388calRoot Vegetables0.63lbs91calFruit1.25lbs160cal

Caloric Requirement FormulasKumangWeight 103kg20% Weight Loss 82kg82kg x 40kcal/kg/day 3,296calOriginal diet provided 11,000calories in biscuits!!!

Kumang’s DietFood CategoryOriginal DietWeight Loss DietBiscuits3,520g154gLeafy ot Vegetables1.0lbs131calFruit1.96lbs230cal

Getting Started There was someone who haddone this before many yearsago and she was still there! We found an old mechanicalscale in our equipment closet! Making it work:Putting the apparatustogetherTesting the scaleIt really does work! We are ready to moveforward!

The Plan Where, who, when, how often, etc.- In our first inside exhibit space- One keeper on the top to readthe scale and one working downbelow- We would try to do this once aweek Behavior training plan- What “bucket” do we use?- Do we need to separate them?- What rewards and how todeliver them- Still an ongoing process

The Weigh-In We had a plan and we were ready The day came and we were excited!April 29, 2012We were able to get weights on Kumang, Dara and Denda and .UH OH! - our suspicions were confirmedKumang now weighed 227lbs - 20 lbs. more than March 2011Dara now weighed 147lbs - 7 lbs. more than August 2011Denda weighed 124lbs (his weight is a healthy weight) But we were on our way to better health and weight management!! We recorded the results on our DKR and waited for the inevitableAnd it came in the form of

A New Diet! A new diet based oncalories A chart of fruits, veggiesand greens with gramweights and caloric content We have to weigh things ingrams instead of pounds This is NOT what we areused to doing!

A Noticeable DifferenceKumang Old Half Day DietKumang New Half Day Diet

A Noticeable DifferenceFresh Greens for 3 Orangutans(Old)Fresh Greens for Kumang

The Approach Everyone involved neededto be educated, tounderstand and to comply This was not just about thefoods themselves but a newway of feeding/nutrition We need to station ourorangutans for feeding andfeed throughout the day We need to work closelywith the vet staff

Objections and Concerns This involves math!- Sample diets?- Support- Encouragement They don’t haveenough foragingopportunities ifstationed forfeeding!- Provision in diet- Greens This takes moretime!- Sample diets?- Ask for help How can we rewardthe orangutans forbehaviors? They aren’t eatingall their vegetablesand greens! This change should bemore gradual How can weprovide them withthe best of bothworlds?

Meeting the Challenges You really don’t have to do math!(much)The sample diets did helpEveryone got more relaxed aboutit It did take more time in thebeginningSample diets did help with this tooIt became more routine We do provide foraging with thingslike :popcorn and cereal as a substitutefor root vegetable calories

Meeting the Challenges We can reward behaviors with lowcal items like low cal jello, airpopped popcorn, and crystal lite Keep a log to keep everyone up todate and make adjustments ifnecessary Let your veterinarian know of anyproblems, questions Given time and opportunity, theydo eat their veggies and greensThey adjusted more quickly thanwe did!

Our Orangutans’ Response Stationing very well!Had started stationing about a year agoNot new to them Shifting really well! Initially rejected their vegetables when fruit and monkey chowwere gone.If they refused their veggies, they did not get more.They understood very quickly that no more fruit was coming!They started to eat all their fruit, veggies and primate chow whilestationed Denda, our male, tries at times to “steal” Dara’s fruit and primatechowHe is returned to his “station” and fed his own dietHe is learning that he only gets fed there Kumang seems almost unaffected and very relaxed

Our Orangutans’ Response More R/RParticularly with Dara DiarrheaAgain, more so with DaraBananas, used for a trainingsession, helps Dara looking for sympathyBut less begging fromvisitors - differentexpectations

The Results (so far) Started new diet on June 28, 2012Kumang weighed 227Dara weighed 147 July 7, 2012Kumang 224 - down 3 lbs.Dara 139 - down 8 lbs! July 14Kumang 221 - down another 3 lbs. (total weightloss of 6 lbs.)Unable to get Dara’s weight - bouncing aroundtoo much!

The Results (so far) July 21Kumang 220 - down anotherlb. (total weight loss of 7 lbs.)Dara weighs the same - 139 July 28Kumang and Dara both got inthe “bucket” but we hadtrouble reading the scale

The Results (so far) August 6Kumang 218 – down another 2lbs. (total weight loss of 9 lbs.) August 12Kumang 218 – no change. (totalweight loss of 9 lbs.)Dara 134 – down another 5 lbs.(total weight loss of 13 lbs.)

A New ScaleBecause of our success, we were able to justifyordering a new digital scale!!!!

What did we learn? Be flexible! Be willing to change Ask for help Keep a log/good records ofyour progress Make adjustments as neededFor instance, we have had toseparate Dara at times soDenda would not take herfood

The Rewards! Feeling of accomplishmentWe learned to do things in adifferent way despite thechallengesWe overcame the obstacles andworked as a team We discovered new ways ofenrichment - not all about food! We justified buying a new digitalscale and made our job easier The weight loss of our orangutans Best of all - working toward thebetter overall health and wellbeing of our orangutans!!

Thank You Janet Dray Tina Fess Brian Sheets Mike Wemett Louis DiVincenti, DVM Jeff Wyatt, DVM Seneca Park Zoo Society Kumang Dara Denda

Biggest Loser: Orangutan Style . Introduction We have three Bornean . Wild Orangutan Diet Food Item Fiber Seeds 9-84% Pulp 9-77% Leaves 21-72% Bark 53-73% Flowers 46-57% . We had a plan