In an interesting twist, a Dutch zoo has called on the services of an Olympic gymnast to re-teach orangutans how to climb trees in their enclosure.
The zoo Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen, located in the centre of the country, said it had renovated the enclosure to allow the orangutans to swing from tree to tree in an outdoor setting above the public – but they've forgotten the skill of climbing.
On Friday, Olympian Epke Zonderland showed the orangutans his skills in the hope of re-teaching them how to swing, but he said the apes are probably a little afraid of the new situation.
[Epke Zonderland, Olympic Gymnast]: "It was very funny to teach the monkeys today, I didn't have any experience with those animals to train, and I was very curious if they would copy me, but I think they did their best."
Zonderland, who competed in the high bar event at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, said he will use a school playground-type installation to climb to the top of the enclosure, while the orangutans will need to climb the trees.
In the wild, orangutans rarely come down to the ground and in the improved enclosure the primates will be able to climb up one tree screened from the public to seven other trees 33 feet high to an outdoor enclosure.
In the Netherlands, winters are cold and orangutans stay inside without the exercise needed to climb the ropes in summertime. Dirk Jan van der Kolk, the park's animal manager, thinks it is possible to re-teach orangutans to climb the seven new artificial trees that were installed in the park precisely for the animals' exercise.
These seven trees provide no possibility for the orangutans to come back down to the ground. A special lift will bring fruit and other food to the apes at the top of the enclosure, while the public can watch them unseen from the ground.
