CALENDAR ADVISORY For immediate release | February 13, 2015 Media contact: Gigi Allianic 206.548.2550 | [email protected]
Zoo hosts a birthday party for its senior apes Twin orangutans and gorilla mates turn 47
WHAT: Join Woodland Park Zoo on Saturday, February 21, for Great Ape Senior Celebration when Towan (toe-WAHN), currently North America’s oldest male orangutan born in captivity, turns 47 along with his twin sister Chinta (CHEEN-tuh) and gorillas Pete and Nina, all born in 1968.
The keepers will shower the orangutans with gift-wrapped presents loaded with favorite treats, party streamers and a special “ape” cake for the orangutans. Towan will even get his first try at playing B9, I26, N33, G55, O74…Bingo! The gorillas will receive some of their favorite treats
Party-goers will have the opportunity to sign birthday wishes on giant cards for the animals, chat with keepers, learn fun and fascinating facts about orangutans and gorillas from docents at discovery stations, and enter a free drawing for a commemorative art piece hand painted by Towan. Keepers will discuss milestones of these apes, gorilla populations in zoos and the importance of geriatric husbandry.
On the day of the birthday party, anyone showing proof of being born in 1968 gets free admission to the zoo. Just present appropriate ID at any zoo ticket window.
See photos of the birthday guests of honor at www.zoo.org/apeparty.
WHEN: Saturday, February 21, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Treats for gorillas: 10:00 Presents for orangutans: 11:00
WHERE: West gorilla shelter in Tropical Rain Forest and orangutan exhibit in Trail of Vines. Enter Enter Woodland Park Zoo through the West Entrance at Phinney Ave. N. between N. 55th & N. 56th Sts. or South Entrance at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N.
INFO: Twin orangutans Towan and Chinta were born at Woodland Park Zoo and gained instant national celebrity status as the first-known twin orangutans born in a zoo. Photos of the pair in diapers appeared around the globe, including “Life” magazine. While other twins have since been born, twin orangutan births are still a rare occurrence.
Gorillas Pete and Nina are the zoo’s oldest gorillas and lifetime residents and companions. They are the foundation of the zoo’s gorilla program and have had four offspring togetherall living at other zoos13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
In zoos, gorillas, particularly female gorillas, can live in to their 40s and 50s, and orangutans up to 60 years.
Orangutans, an endangered species, belong to the family Hominidae, which includes all four great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. Distinct species of orangutans live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia. Overpopulation, logging, agriculture, conversion of forests to
oil palm plantations, and other human activities are rapidly destroying forest environments required by orangutans for survival. Learn about Woodland Park Zoo’s partnership with Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program in Borneo, whose focus is to help build a future where orangutans and other wildlife can thrive alongside local villages.
The bushmeat trade, facilitated by logging, has become an immediate threat to the western lowland gorilla population, particularly in Cameroon. Woodland Park Zoo supports conservation efforts for the critically endangered western lowland gorilla through the Mbeli Bai Study, which researches the social organization and behaviors of more than 400 lowland gorillas living in the southwest of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo. The data collected enables scientists to assess the vulnerability of populations to habitat threats and predict their ability to recover from decline.
COST: Great Ape Senior Celebration is free with zoo admission. Anyone born in 1968 gets free admission to the zoo on February 21 by showing proof. Admission: Adult (13-64) $13.75; Child (3-12) $9.25; Toddler (0-2) free. Active, retired, and veteran U.S. military and their families, seniors and people with physical disabilities receive an admission discount. Zoo members receive free zoo admission year round. Parking: $5.25.
Zoo winter hours: 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. daily. For more information or to become a zoo member, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.548.2500.
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