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theses

ETD doctoral

Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus spp.) are often rescued diseased, malnourished, and/or injured, and although the protection of existing populations and their forest habitats is paramount, there remains the need to house and care for individuals under immediate threat. This need grows annually as less suitable forest remains into which to reintroduce healthy individuals, and more rescued individuals are being deemed ‘unreleasable’ due to trauma, maiming, or chronic illness. Thus, rehabilitation and reintroduction have become primary components of species’ survival. These programs spend millions of dollars on medical intervention, care, release, and observation, yet we know very little about how the overall health of these animals varies during the rehabilitation and release process or about the long-term effects on fitness. Numerous studies of wild orangutan populations have laid the groundwork for sufficient pre- and post-release examination. However, surprisingly few studies have examined orangutan health while in rehabilitation centers, and even fewer have monitored their progress once released. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the health of rehabilitant and reintroduced central Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center and at Bukit Batikap Reintroduction Forest and, then, compare these populations with data collected from a long-term study of a wild P.p. wurmbii population at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station. Specifically, I assess protein balance, energy balance, inflammation, and immune-system response using non-invasively collected urinary urea, C-peptide of insulin, cortisol, ketone bodies, neopterin, and cytokines.

In Chapter Two, I review the complicated history of orangutan conservation, rehabilitation, and reintroduction. I find that despite past failures and current criticisms, there is progress being made in the field of orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction. Further collaboration and transparency are needed, and I suggest the field of conservation physiology as a means to achieve this.

In Chapters Three and Four I show how existing physiological methodologies can be used to assess the health of rehabilitant and reintroduced orangutans and additionally used to make recommendations in program protocols. I show how, collectively, physiological evidence provides valuable information and should be a primary consideration when making policy decisions.

ETD_11700

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

doi:10.7282/t3-wp7v-qk11

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