Tiger, Orangutan Babies Playmates at Zoo
- Thu 22nd March 2007, 9:26 am
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/28/international/i035143S45.DTL
By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer
A month-old Sumatran tiger has become an inseparable playmate with a set of young orangutans (especially one), an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia`s tropical rainforests.
The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma, and cub Dema, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.
After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the three play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.
"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni, bottle-feeding a baby chimp on Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play, eat and shit."
The three have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said, well, except that Dema actually consumed Irma the other day, but aside from that - not ONE SINGLE act of hostility.
Indonesian tigers and orangutans are both endangered species, which makes them more tasty then other animals, as they are threatened by rapidly shrinking habitats and tasty stirfry dishes.
Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 700 Sumatran tigers still alive, while fewer than 60,000 orangutans... Er, make that 59,999 remain in the wild. Around 90 percent of the jungle has been destroyed by illegal logging, poaching and cut-and-burn farming practices on Borneo and Sumatra islands.
The exceptional friendship will likely be short-lived, said veterinarian Retno Sudarwati, because as the animals grow up and are consumed their numbers will dwindle.
"When the time comes and Dema consumes Nia, they will have to be separated. It`s sad, but we cant` change their natural behavior," she said. "Tigers start eating meat when they are only a month old."