World’s oldest Sumatran orangutan, RIP

This video from Perth Zoo in Australia says about itself:

Farewell to the Oldest Sumatran Orangutan in the World!

18 June 2018

Yesterday the Zoo family farewelled Puan, the oldest orangutan in the world, due to age related complications.

Puan was one of a kind, an individual to the end. She was a grand old lady who demanded respect and earned respect.

As the founder of our world-renowned breeding program her legacy is phenomenal with descendants living all over the world.

Rest in peace Puan, may you climb happily in the jungles of the sky.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Her offspring have been placed in other zoos all over the world, some of them have been placed back in the wild.

Puan received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2016 because of her old age. Adult animals of the endangered species are rarely older than 50 years in the wild.

Breeding program

According to the World Wildlife Fund, some 14,600 Sumatran orangutans live in the wild. The species is threatened by poaching and deforestation.

Perth Zoo has an extensive breeding program with the aim to place as many young animals as possible back in their original habitat.