(K)utai

Goodbye, Kutai.

Photo from the Oregon Zoo

This charming 20-year-old Sumatran orangutan died Saturday at the Oregon Zoo following a month-long illness.You can read the zoo's article about Kutai here: http://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2014/01/zoo-says-goodbye-mischievous-sweet-orang-kutai. Kutai will be missed terribly by zoo staff, volunteers, and visitors. Likely, he will be missed by Inji, his 54-year-old surviving grandmother who shared his habitat.

Time will tell if Inji will grieve, and if so, how her grief will be manifested. In our tendency to attribute human characteristics to animals, we assume that - like us - she will feel tremendous loss and mourn deeply. And she may. Research has revealed that animals - from our domestic pets, to dolphins, to elephants - do mourn their dead. Some wail, some cry tears, some refuse to eat. The following link shows ten acts of animal mourning captured on film: http://www.pawnation.com/2012/07/31/10-heartbreaking-animal-mourning-rituals/

Barbara J. King has written a book called "How Animals Grieve", in which she addresses the greater depth of human grieving that is the result of our heightened awareness of the finality of death and of our own mortality. And, while there are distinct differences in how humans and animals grieve, there is a significant similarity: the sadness felt by humans and animals when experiencing a loss exists because there was first friendship and loved shared. To read an excerpt from King's book: http://nypost.com/2013/04/28/how-animals-mourn-their-dead/

My favorite memory of Kutai is from the fall of 2012, when I assisted the volunteer enrichment team in assembling quilts for the primates. Many small pockets were sewn into each quilt, and keepers placed treats such as seeds and grapes in these pockets. Kutai was instantly drawn to the quilts, and I marveled at the dexterity of his enormous fingers picking methodically through each pocket to retrieve the treats inside. I don't believe he shared a single one with Inji! (You snooze, you lose, Grandma.) Later, I'm told, he shredded the quilt and made his own bedding, building his nest to his utter satisfaction.

Goodbye, Kutai. You made us laugh, touched our hearts, and helped raise awareness about the impending extinction of orangutans largely due to habitat loss and palm oil production. For more information, to make a donation, and to see all the ways you can help, visit The Orangutan Project's website: http://www.orangutan.org.au/palm-oil.