Oklahoma City zoo celebrates orangutan’s 50th birthday

The Associated Press - July 4, 2017 10:05 am

Oklahoma City zoo celebrates orangutan’s 50th birthday
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma City’s zoo is celebrating the 50th birthday of one of its most popular residents: a Sumatran orangutan named Toba.
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden says Toba is its longest-living mammal and the oldest zoo-born orangutan in North America. She was born at a Berlin zoo in 1967 and arrived in Oklahoma City in 1975.
Oklahoma City zoo primates coordinator Laura Bottaro says Sumatran orangutans in the wild typically live about 25 years.
The zoo hosted a birthday party Sunday, offering guests many of Toba’s favorite fruits including lychee, durian and jackfruit.
Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered. Scientists estimate less than 15,000 are left in the forests of Indonesia. Habitat loss, driven primarily by the cultivation of palm oil, is the main threat.

Image: NewsOK

 

Latest Stories

Tulsa Community College selected for the Metallica Scholars Initiative

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Community College has joined the sixth cohort of the Metallica Scholars Initiative. The...

Oklahoma ranks second worst in education, amidst new curriculum controversy

Tulsa, Okla. (KTUL) — State Superintendent Ryan Walters has issued guidance on the requirement for Oklahoma school...

Southwest Airlines Announces Changes To Seating Policy, Adds Overnight Flights

DALLAS – Southwest Airlines announced on Thursday the company will soon do away with the existing first-come-first-serve...