Latest News On Rusti the Orangutan
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Rusti has been a temporary visitor at the Honolulu Zoo since 1997. After a complicated rescue from a substandard private facility on the mainland, he was given to Orangutan Foundation International (OFI). OFI was founded by Dr. Birute Galdikas, the pioneering primatologist, who lived with an orangutan community as a surrogate member, in remote Borneo. The latest news is that in August 2004 the Honolulu City Council approved building a new exhibit for Rusti and making him a permanent resident of the Zoo. The funding will be shared between OFI, the City, the Hawaii based non-profit Chelsey Foundation and the Rose Helen Vincent estate. The new enclosure will behind the reptile house just beyond the African spurred tortoise exhibit. See the links below for news stories on Rusti.
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We know that Rusti's current exhibit is not nearly what we desire to have for him. Originally built in the early 50's to house a gorilla, it is a stark example of how far exhibits have come. What was acceptable to house wild animals only 15 or 20 years ago, no longer is; and for that we are all very grateful. Rusti's enclosure will be demolished as soon as he can move to his new exhibit. The
Honolulu Zoo, in partnership with OFI, has a very dedicated group of staff and volunteers who have provided
countless hours of
enrichment activities for Rusti, to help compensate for what our temporary exhibit
lacked. While Rusti's new home is being built he is receiving daily attention. His hair is washed and combed, he gets food treats and there are regular enrichment enhancements to his enclosure. Rusti has a variety of interactive activities throughout the day that help to keep him active and stimulated. In addition, he gets training sessions in his moving crate so that when the time comes for him to move to his new home that he will be comfortable and familiar with it.
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