Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Tapanuli orangutans are the most endangered great apes in the world. There are fewer than 800 left, and they were all thought to be in Indonesia.
But a zoo in India run by the son of Asia’s richest man claims to have one. This zoo, called Vantara, says it has 150,000 animals and around 2,000 species. That is far more than well-known zoos in New York, London and Berlin.
Vantara’s single Tapanuli orangutan is puzzling. The trade of endangered and protected wildlife is mostly illegal. But there are exceptions for animals that were born in captivity to parents also born in captivity. These animals are called “captive-bred”.
There is only a single record of a Tapanuli orangutan being transferred internationally. In 2023, one left Indonesia for the United Arab Emirates. Vantara has said its Tapanuli orangutan is this animal. The transfer record describes the animal as “captive-bred”. But many are not convinced.
