Short Communication: Positional behavior of captive Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Bukit Merah Orangutan Island, Perak, Malaysia

SITI NORSYUHADA KAMALUDDIN (School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 43600, Bangi, Selangor,)
SABAPATHY DHARMALINGAM (Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation. Bukit Merah, Perak, Malaysia)
BADRUL MUNIR MD-ZAIN (Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation. Bukit Merah, Perak, Malaysia)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 20 No. 2 (2019)

Kamaluddin SN, Dharmalingam S, Md-Zain BM. 2019. Short Communication: Positional behavior of captive Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Bukit Merah Orangutan Island, Perak, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 20: 425-429. Bukit Merah Orangutan Island (BMOUI) is the only semi-captive orangutan conservation center in the Malay Peninsula. BMOUI promotes orangutan conservation through ex-situ efforts comprising rehabilitation, education, awareness, ecotourism, and research studies. This research aimed to determine the qualitative behavior aspects, especially focusing on the orangutan positional behavior on BMOUI. A focal instantaneous sampling method was carried out for 252 hours from December 2015 to November 2016. The qualitative results showed that the positional behaviors of a Bornean orangutan at BMOUI were divided into nine main categories, as follows: sitting, lying, clinging, forelimb-hindlimb suspension, standing, walking, running, brachiation, and multipositional modes. The most favorable position shown by a captive Bornean orangutan on BMOUI were dominated by sitting and lying postures. The variety of positional modes displayed in a semi-captive condition still maintained Bornean orangutan as the great ape originating from the tropical inhabitants of wooded environments.