Are You Someone Who Cares About Our Orangutans?

This photo came up in my Facebook Memories Sunday (March 2), for Dr Seuss Day.  I made it in 2015 when I was crusading to Save Our Chimpanzees from being kicked out of their Zoo home by Director Tanya Peterson.

Maggie, Minnie and Cobby

Our Zoo desperately needs someone with authority to Care.  It needs major changes to management, foremost by replacing Director Peterson, then in restructuring the Zoological Society that has supported Peterson's mismanagement for sixteen+ years.  As well, the RecPark Commission's role needs to be redefined, because right now they are useless to the Zoo.

As I said in my previous post, I will not stop being a Voice for the Animals, specifically until the Orangutans get a new home built for them.  The Orangutan/Panda Outrage is valid and concerning.  There has been No Care for the Orangutans from Director Peterson, the Zoological Society, or the RecPark Commissioners.

I have well documented the Orangutans history and their ignored Needs.  I have documented how it's connected to the Panda Plan.  In an effort to break-up the repeat of my words for readers, I asked another Friend of Our Great Apes to write-up how witnessing what happened to Our Orangutans made her feel. 

These are the words of someone else who cares...

"Orangutans, and - nothing against the Chimps who deserve their space!!!!

Why would a renowned Zoo tolerate a Director who demonstratively lacks an understanding of basic Animal Care?

I took my young daughter to the Zoo frequently over the years, and enjoyed watching her discover the Animals.

She grew up, and in the spring of 2019, I started to visit regularly by myself, sometimes a few times a week, and I’d linger with the Chimps.

The Great Ape Passage had just been built and the Chimpanzees were able to walk through newly built tubes to get into the new day room from their longtime grotto across the way.

What a joy it was to finally be able to interact with the Chimps through the glass!!!

I immediately felt connected to them, and their joy was visible in their interactions with visitors and staff.

Enter the Orangutans.

By the time of the arrival of the Orangutans, the Chimps no longer had access to the tubes; they had their indoor room as well as a new, netted outdoor space.

The tubes were given to the Orangutans. But that was all they had as an enclosure - for at least 6 months!!!!

Orangs tend to have droopy expressions, but their dismay at being trapped in those tubes was obvious and on full display by any observer.

They watched the Chimps enjoy their own space. They antagonized the Chimps at times, no doubt in an expression of envy.

photo added by blog owner

As Amoi watched; Ollie frequently hid under a blanket.

If you’ve ever spent time observing Orangutans, you’d see how emotional they are; how much they like to climb, and just how intelligent they truly are.

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/are-orangutans-smart-everything-we-know-about-their-intelligence/

At some point the keepers attempted to give the Orangs some time outside, so it was agreed that the Orangs could use the Chimps’ space while the Chimps were locked inside.

As far as I know, this ‘switch’ was only done a handful of times.

During one of my visits during one of those ‘switches’, I got to see Amoi, joyously climbing on the netting and swinging with some glee!

The way the Orangutans were treated at the SF Zoo was completely unfair, and, quite frankly, astonishing! They endured 6 months of not being able to climb; they were trapped inside tubes; and they could watch fellow Apes enjoy relaxation in a dedicated space that they did not have.

Imagine!

And then the Orangutans had to endure months of construction noises - only to build an asinine bridge in the grotto- a bridge for humans!!! The Orangutans were ‘given’ an old habitat slightly renovated to at least give them a space for themselves.

And their ‘new’ space has a lame structure that limits their instinctive urges to climb!!!

And it’s not even new!!!

It’s atrocious the way the Orangutans were treated.

But Tanya Peterson considered it a triumph that a new species was introduced at the Zoo.

What kind of insensitivity to living, thinking, playful beings must one have to abuse a beloved Ape like that!!??

Why wouldn’t she have waited to bring them here until they had a space to call their own!!??

To this day, the Orangutans often choose to watch the Chimps from their tubes as their climbing structure offers them nothing stimulating.

I always enjoy my visits with the Chimps; though seeing the Orangutans get the short end of the stick is a constant reminder of Zoo management’s lack of care for the Animals."

She says it plain and simple...

"Why would a renowned Zoo tolerate a Director who demonstratively lacks an understanding of basic Animal Care?"

Indeed, Why does a renowned CITY Owned Zoo's appointed management entities the San Francisco Zoological Society and San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission, tolerate Director Tanya Peterson's offenses to the Animals she is charged with caring about?  

Thank you to this Friend of Our Great Apes for sharing her feelings.  If any reader wants to be a voice for Our Orangutans, please use the comment form to submit your words for review.

Previous Post:

Orangutan/Panda Outrage Will Continue Indefinitely -  Repost 

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2025/03/orangutanpanda-outrage-will-continue_4.html

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Blogger's Statement

"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."

For Full Statement see this post:

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html

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I used to use (search) labels, but too often forget.  I started noting "Hot Topic" in title, but fell lax on that.  Now I'm just going to add labels, keywords, etc., here at the bottom with hashtags.  Does it help in searches, who knows.

#SanFrancisco , #SanFranciscoZoo , #Zoos #SanFranciscoZoologicalSociety , #SanFranciscoZooDirectorTanyaPeterson , #SanFranciscoRecreationAndParksDept , #SanFranciscoMayorLondonBreed ,

#SanFranciscoMayorDanielLurie

#AssociationOfZoosAndAquariums , #AZA , #SpeciesSurvivalPlan , #SSP , #Animals , #Wildlife , #Nature , #AnimalWelfare , #AnimalCruelty , #AndeanBear , #KomodoDragon , #Chimpanzees ,  #PatasMonkey , #Fossa , #Orangutans , #Barriers , #PerimeterFence, #Pandas #Bison