After 22 years in Kansas City, Rufus the orangutan has died at the zoo
.png "The Kansas City Zoo mourns the loss of Rufus the orangutan.")
The Kansas City Zoo is mourning the loss of a 22 year resident, Rufus, a Bornean orangutan.
Saturday morning, Rufus did his normal routine and went out to his habitat at 9:30 a.m. Around noon, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the zoo Sean Putney got the call that the orangutan was no longer moving, he said.
“It seems like he went out and found a place to lie down at some point, and then passed peacefully,” said Putney.
The 36-year-old orangutan died due to a chronic heart condition, according to zoo officials. He was born in 1988 at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. He arrived in Kansas City in May 2003 at 15 years old.
Rufus was special to the Kansas City Zoo team, said Putney, noting all of the staff had fond memories with him.
“Even though it’s been many years since I was down there working with him at any personal level, there are still stories that I remember that he was special,” Putney said.
When he worked more closely with the orangutan and grew out his red beard, Rufus would treat Putney like another male orangutan, protecting his territory from what he perceived as an intruder, he said.
“Little stories like that, everybody has them,” Putney said. “...Especially with primates, when you get close to them, and you’re training with them, and they’re long-lived animals, they really become part of your family.”
Staff care extended his life
Rufus lived years beyond what was expected from his diagnosis due to the outstanding care of the veterinary team, said Putney. They were able to train him with positive reinforcement, leading to him voluntarily participating in his ultrasounds and blood sampling.
His condition made his heart not pump as much as it should. Once he was diagnosed, the zoo built a specialized sleeve to allow his caretakers to draw his blood easily, making his care easier on both the orangutan and the staff, he said.
“The odd thing is that this was diagnosed about five years ago, and through medications and care from not only our animal care staff, but our veterinary team, allowed us the opportunity to give him the medications necessary to make sure he had a pain-free life until he passed away,” said Putney.
Since orangutans are so smart, they always need extra cognitive interaction. His specialized enrichment calendar and training helped extend his lifespan as well, he said.
“Rufus was quite particular and made his unique preferences known, an endearing part of his personality for his caregivers,” said the zoo in an Instagram post.
Though typically solitary by nature, Rufus found companionship with Jill, the oldest orangutan, and was a father figure to Josie and Kalijon, two younger orangutans.
Similar to humans, orangutans develop health conditions that need care over their lifespan, especially as they get older. It’s never something easy to handle, said Putney.
“One thing we all know, when we get in this business, the unfortunate part is anything that is born or hatched has a lifespan,” he said. “That’s really never something that you can get over, but you know that going into it.”
