Orangutan

Quick Facts
Get to Know
Meet the Family
On the Job
Protecting Wildlife
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Quick facts

Lifespan

35 to 40 years in the wild

Up to 60 years under human care

Diet

Variety of fruits

Also leaves, tree bark, flowers and insects

Habitat

Tropical rainforests

Arboreal, lives in trees

Range

Parts of Borneo and Sumatra

The orangutans

Ah Meng and Her Legacy

Ah Meng was our own homegrown celebrity. She came to the Zoo at the tender age of seven and rose to stardom in the 1980s as the gracious host of our “Breakfast with Orangutan”. She became the first and only animal to be conferred the ‘Special Tourism Ambassador’ award.

Everyone who has rubbed shoulders with Ah Meng has a story to tell. When she passed on in 2008, 4,000 people turned up to pay their final respects. Ah Meng’s grand daughter Ishta has been named the new Ah Meng for her resemblance to her grandmother.

Meet the family

Binton

Seizes every chance to enjoy a piggyback ride on adult orangutans

Labu

Has a habit of snatching food from his group members

Satria

Often refuses to go back to his night quarters

Suria

Enjoys the attention of his keepers

Veera

Loves to tease other orangutans by pulling their fur

The keeper

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Orangutan Keeper Talk

Daily Free-Ranging Orangutan Island 11:00am & 3:30pm

Learn more about our wildlife from the people who know best — the keepers. In this interactive session, hear interesting quirks of the orangutans from our keepers.

Adopt an Animal

Ah Meng

Sumatran Orangutan

Named after her well-loved grandmother, Ah Meng is sociable and affectionate, and cares deeply for the other orang utans in her group. She enjoys the occasional durian treat, and is observed to be very particular about cleanliness.

Adopt Ah Meng

Together, we protect wildlife

Safety net for the species

Both the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are critically endangered – the latter was reclassified recently, from endangered status to reflect the magnitude of threats from habitat loss and illegal hunting.

Managing orangutan populations in zoos ensures the survival of the species. It also allows members of the public to appreciate and learn more about them, and hopefully with emotional connection, comes the desire to protect these 'men of the forest’.

The IUCN Status

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

Breakfast in the Wild

Daily Ah Meng Restaurant (Terrace) 9:00am – 10:30am

Start your day well with this iconic dining experience designed to inspire a love for wildlife and delight your senses!

Savour a hearty meal of local and international flavours in our charming rainforest zoo and meet our wildlife ambassadors and their keepers.

Adult S$45

Find out more

Orangutan

Quick facts

35 to 40 years in the wild

Variety of fruits

Tropical rainforests

Parts of Borneo and Sumatra

The orangutans

Largest tree-dwelling mammals

Asia’s only great ape

Forest school

Durian lovers

Low sugar diet

Ah Meng and Her Legacy

Meet the family

Binton

Labu

Satria

Suria

Veera

The keeper

Jeremy Chew

Jeremy Chew

So, how long have you been working with the orangutans?

Jeremy Chew

Jeremy Chew

I’m glad you’ve made a full recovery. When did you re-join the zoo?

Jeremy Chew

Jeremy Chew

How would you sum up your experience as a keeper?

Orangutan Keeper Talk

Adopt an Animal

Ah Meng

Together, we protect wildlife

Safety net for the species

The IUCN Status

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Data Deficient

Least Concern

Near Threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically Endangered

Extinct in the Wild

Extinct

Breakfast in the Wild

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