World’s oldest Sumatran orangutan, Puan, dies in captivity at #Perth Zoo at the age of 62

The world’s oldest Sumatran orangutan, a prolific mother who is estimated to have given birth to 10 per cent of the global population of the species in captivity, has died at the age of 62.

Puan was put down at Perth Zoo after developing age-related complications.Sumatran orangutans, found in the northern parts of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, do not usually live beyond 50 in the wild.According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature they are critically endangered animals, and their habitat is under threat from wholesale land clearing for forestry and agriculture, including palm oil production.Puan was the matriarch of the Perth Zoo orangutan colony, mothering 11 children during its time in captivity.The long-living primate had a total of 54 descendants worldwide, with 29 still alive today.Its descendants currently make up nearly 10 per cent of the total population of the species in zoos around the world.

Source: World’s oldest Sumatran orangutan, Puan, dies in captivity at Perth Zoo at the age of 62 – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)