On December 11, 2009, at 1 p.m., Czech Radio Online will launch a new project called The Relatives - a live webcast from a new orang-utan pavilion in ZOO Dvur Kralove. The webcast will be available at www.rozhlas.cz/theralatives.
Four cameras will constantly transmit video footage of Bornean orang-utans that are being transferred to the newly furbished pavilion: male Elmar, females Zaneta and Satu, and little Besar, Zaneta's son.
Miroslav Bobek, leader of the project and director of Czech Radio Online says: "We are responding to growing popularity of live webcasts from zoological gardens and taking the opportunity to introduce another fascinating yet critically endangered ape species."
The population of the Bornean orang-utan in the wild ranges from 50,000 to 55,000, and the population of the critically endangered Sumatran orang-utan is estimated between 6,000 and 6,500. The main reason is shrinking of their natural habitats - rain forests that are being destructed at an alarming speed due to massive illegal logging to make room for palm oil or coffee plantations. Other major causes of deforestation include extraction of raw materials, establishment of new settlements, road construction, as well as wildfires, often started intentionally. Should the destruction of tropical forests in Indonesia continue at this pace, there will be only insignificant fragments left within five years. Orang-utans are also endangered by wide-spread poaching, especially capturing of young animals for sale as pets.
Dana Holeckova, director of Zoo Dvur Kralove, noted: "In our geography, it is zoological gardens that can contribute to the protection of orang-utans. ZOO Dvur Kralove has been successfully breeding these rare animals since 1984 with 6 young born here since then. I believe that users will find it interesting to watch the life and behaviour of the largest living tree-dwelling animal whose intelligence our keepers can tell long stories about."
Our orang-utans:
Zaneta:
Zaneta was born on June 29, 1976 in Zoo Rhenen in the Netherlands. She has the honour to have two names: Bernardyne from Rhenen and Zaneta from Dvur Kralove.
Elmar:
Elmar is a mighty orang-utan male with arms spanning nearly three metres. He has long, dark red fur. He is a true "man of the jungle", as native people call orang-utans.
Besar:
Born on February 8, 2005, Besar is the youngest offspring of Zaneta and Elmar. At his 4.5 years, he is a jolly little chap. He never stops coming up with funny ideas, fiddling around, and teasing his mother and "aunt" Satu, another member of the troop.
Satu:
Young female Satu was brought to Zoo Dvur Kralove on February 13, 2009. She was born on August 31, 1999 in the Twycross Zoo, UK. Under the EEP (European Rescue Programme), she was designated as a partner for Elmar. When she arrived, she weighed 54.5 kg. She was accompanied by her keeper Tanja who was supposed to make the first days in the new environment easier for her.
More about the project: http://www.rozhlas.cz/therelatives/about/
Fresh photos from the orang-utan pavilion for download in print quality: http://www2.rozhlas.cz/pribuzni
[
