Happy birthday, Bob! Jolene’s dad is 20 years old

Bob the orangutan is 20 years old today at the Oregon Zoo, and his care team says he is a great ape to celebrate! The zoo will be marking the milestone Saturday, Jan. 24, with keeper chats at 11 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., and some special enrichment items for the birthday boy.

"Bob really is a special orangutan," said Kate Gilmore, who oversees the zoo's primate area. "When he came here, he was still pretty young, and his care team has watched him grow up. He's become a great companion to Kitra and a great father to Jolene."

Bob's appearance has changed dramatically since he arrived in Portland more than a decade ago. As male orangutans mature, they develop the distinctive cheek-pads known as "flanges" and begin to grow a stylish red beard. Gilmore says the flanges can signal dominance to other males - and help attract female orangutans when the time is right.

It was no surprise that Bob and Kitra hit it off, but keepers weren't sure what to expect from him when Jolene was born in 2022.

"Orangutans don't typically live in family groups," Gilmore said. "In the wild, babies will stay with their moms for around 10 years, but usually the fathers are nowhere to be seen. Bob really broke the mold. He's been great with Jolene - they are so sweet together."

Bob met Jolene when she was just a week old, and the two have formed a strong bond ever since - playing together, sharing snacks and hanging out as a family.

Bob moved to Portland from South Carolina's Greenville Zoo in 2014 and was joined the following year by Kitra, who arrived from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The moves were based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for orangutans. The AZA has established SSPs for many threatened or endangered species - cooperative programs that help create genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations to guarantee the long-term future of these animals.

Orangutans are critically endangered, largely because of habitat loss driven by logging and the conversion of forests into oil palm plantations. Around 90% of the world's palm oil is produced on the only two islands where orangutans live. When orangutans lose habitat, they also become easy targets for hunters, who often capture young orangutans for the illegal pet trade.

The name "orangutan" comes from the Malay "orang," meaning man, and "hutan," meaning forest. According to Gilmore, many zoo guests are struck by the orangutans' close resemblance to humans.

Since 2008, the zoo has partnered with Hutan to protect Bornean orangutans through reforestation, conflict reduction and community empowerment. People interested in helping orangutans can find a number of small actions on the zoo website.