Prague Zoo lost its Sumatran orangutan Pustakawan today

Sumatran orangutan Pustakawan. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

“The young male tested his limits while playing and tried to see how far he could go. Everything happened in a short time, when the keepers were working in another part of the house. Immediately after Kawi's body was pulled out, our keeper began resuscitation, unfortunately without success. The veterinarian who was called in subsequently confirmed the animal’s death,” explains primate head keeper Martin Vojáček. “The keepers are deeply affected by the loss of their favorite animal.”

The young and playful orangutan was very popular with visitors precisely for his inventive acrobatics. Unfortunately, similar accidents in zoos cannot be completely prevented. Modern zoos keep not only orangutans, but also other apes and primates in an environment that allows them natural movement and play, including ropes, climbing logs and other play elements.

Young Kawi was a well known animal at the Prague Zoo. He was born on November 17th five years ago. Because of his typical fur and unique date of birth, he was nicknamed the velvet baby. The unfortunate incident affected not only the keepers but also other zoo employees.

Mladý a hravý orangutan byl právě pro své vynalézavé kousky a akrobacii velmi oblíbený u návštěvníků. Podobným nehodám bohužel v prostředí zoologických zahrad nelze zcela zabránit. Moderní zoo chovají nejen orangutany, ale i další lidoopy a primáty v prostředí, které jim umožňuje přirozený pohyb a hru, tedy včetně lan, parkosů a dalších herních prvků.

Mladý Kawi byl výrazným zvířetem pražské zoo. Na svět přišel sedmnáctého listopadu před pěti lety. Kvůli typické srsti a nezaměnitelnému datu narození se mu přezdívalo sametové mládě. Nešťastná událost se vedle chovatelů dotkla i ostatních zaměstnanců zoologické zahrady.