Orangutan enjoys tasty mango treats from a jar

Puppe the orangutan lives at the Metro Toronto zoo in Canada. One of the highest rated zoos on the continent, this facility has excellent habitat and nutrition for their animals. Puppe has just been given some mango slices in a jar. This provides some mental stimulation as the jar is an unusual object and she must figure out the easiest way to remove the food. Often, the containers and food items are presented in unique ways that require thinking to locate or access them.

Puppe is one of the few primates not born at the zoo. She was brought here as an orphan needing a safe home. Due to hunting and habitat loss, orangutan populations are in serious decline. Irresponsible consumer demand for products that drive the growth of farms causes the encroachment on orangutan forest that robs them of their home. We can prevent this by researching which products avoid the use of palm oil, a leading cause of competition with the orangutans.

Puppe has a safe and happy home here. Sadly, there is no place for her in the wild anymore due to human interference. These beautiful animals are intelligent and gentle and they deserve to be protected. Through outreach and education, organizations like the Toronto Zoo strive to improve this tragic situation. They also provide funding and expertise, along with volunteers, to work in the area of conservation so that we might see the orangutans make a comeback. To lose these noble beasts forever would be beyond tragic.