Orangutan twins are a rare occurrence in nature! On October 15,2009 an orangutan female named Tut gave birth to twins at Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Indonesian Borneo.
She first appeared on the bridge in the morning carrying her two newborn infants . Since one of the twins seemed weak, the Camp Manager contacted OFI’s Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine in Pasir Panjang near Pangkalan Bun to request medical assistance. Unfortunately, the veterinary team was unable to save the male infant who died shortly afterwards. So far the surviving twin is doing well.
This is the first time that orangutan twins have been witnessed at Camp Leakey and/or Tanjung Puting National Park. Since orangutan females frequently come to Camp Leakey with their newborn infants after an absence of several days or more having given birth in forest solitude, it is possible that twins had been previously born but only one survived. In cases like this, when the female finally arrived in camp with the sole surviving twin, there is no way that the assistants or I would have known that the female had initially given birth to twins.
Among humans there are 32 twin live births per 1,000 live births. Living human twins constitute about 1.9% of the world’s human population. Of these, only 8% are identical.
The weak twin did not survive.
We don’t know the equivalent figures for great ape twins. There have been twins born among the wild chimpanzees at Gombe. Melissa, one of the chimpanzees initially studied by Jane Goodall, had twins many years ago sometime in the 1970’s but only one survived. I remember Jane mentioning Melissa’s twins with excitement (at the birth) and sadness (for the death) in a letter she wrote to me at the time and which I received in Camp Leakey. Then in 1998 Melissa’s offspring Gremlin gave birth to a healthy pair of twins, Goldie and Glitta. So it must run in the family! This is also true of humans. That was the comment that actor (the term she perfers as she made clear when she filmed at Camp Leakey)) Julia Roberts made when she was congratulated on the birth of her twins, saying she wasn’t surprised as her family tended to twin.
An orangutan female carrying twins was sighted by observers in the Lower Kinabatangan region in Sabah (one of two Malaysian states on Borneo) during November 2007. This is the first observation of a wild orangutan with twins ever recorded. Unfortunately, it is not known if that particular orangutan female was ever seen again with her twins.
Tut with her twins
Orangutan twins were also seen in 1991 at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Center where the mother was most likely a rehabilitated ex-captive orangutan. There have also been at least three known births of twins in captivity, two in the United States and one in Indonesia.
Among most large mammals who normally give birth to singletons, twins tend to be smaller and have higher neonatal mortality rates. I have read that in deer populations which are hunted, that the does are more likely to give birth to twins rather than single fawns as compared to populations where hunting does not occur. Females also reproduce more quickly and at younger ages. I am speculating wildly here but I wonder if a similar phenomenon could occur in non-human primates due to excessive stress. Who knows?
All I can say is that it took me almost 40 years of observation to see the first twin births among the population of orangutans who are resident in the forests around Camp Leakey. Who knows what else we might see if we have the patience and robustness to observe for another 40 years?
An understandably weary Tut with her twins
Scientist, conservationist, educator: for almost four decades Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has studied and worked closely with the orangutans of Indonesian Borneo in their natural habitat, and is today the world’s foremost authority on the orangutan.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I enjoyed this story and the photos so much. I can see that one of the twins looked weak.
November 26th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Thank you for your comment. Yes, it was obvious from the very beginning that one of the twins was very weak. That’s why the camp assistants called the veterinary team.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:52 am
Interesting article but sad that the one died.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:30 am
While it is unfortunate that they both did not survive, this was still a truly special occasion. Thank you for sharing.
November 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Thanks for your comment. So far the surviving twin is doing OK.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Terimakasih banyak untuk berbagi info tentang bayi orangutan kembar, saya baru tahu bahwa betina orangutan dapat melahirkan bayi kembar.. Sayangnya, satu bayi harus meninggal… Turut berdukacita…
November 26th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Thank you for your comment. I think orangutan twins might be more common in the wild than we think.
November 26th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
You are truly a remarkable person to do this work.
I know there are a lot of babies in your care.
Hopefully most will survive….I would like to know
where they will be released and how many years old will
most of them be at that time.
I didn’t know the Palm oil plantations were the ones wiping
out the jungle. It is so hard to avoid this product as there
are so many foods with palm oil.
Fortunately I live 5 minutes from the San Diego Zoo. I could watch
them 24/7; but observing and recording everything they do must be very
difficult.
Bless you Doctor B for all that you do for our little red fellows.
November 28th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
We currently have 330 orangutan orphans under our care. Our mortality rate is under 5% for newcomers. We are still searching for forest but during 2009 we released about 20 orangutans in the vicinity of Tanjung Puting National Park but not within the park. We only release orangutans once they are old enough to forage for themselves, make night nests in the trees, and avoid predators. That means that we release orangutans back into the wild at the same time that wild orangutan adolescents leave their mothers.
Thank you for your kind words.
Biruté
November 27th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Brilliant article. Thanks for sharing this with us. Danielle.
November 28th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Thank you for reading and thank you for your very kind words.
Biruté
December 15th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Dr.B u r so awesome. I admire u very much. Im actually doing a biography on u, so this is really cool how im actually talking to u. I have dreams to being such a great person too. And as i said i admire u greatly.
December 18th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Very interesting post. I visited Camp Leaky earlier this year and met Tut. She’s an amazing orangutan. I also met the two habituated gibbons in camp, Bob and Boy, and I was wondering what species of gibbon they are? I assumed at the time they were Agile Gibbons, but on showing pictures of them to a friend who is more familiar with gibbons species than I am, he is sure they are either Grey Gibbons or Silvery Gibbons. Either way, the gibbons in the park are amazing.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Hi Birute,
I just came onto your blog for the first time and am enjoying reading everything. I found the twin article very interesting since I am a twin. By the way I sent a Christmas card to you in L.A. with my promised donation to the OFI. When are you coming back to Vancouver? We have lots to do! Have a great Christmas and New Year. Jill
December 21st, 2009 at 12:32 pm
What does it mean when it says your comment is awaiting moderation? I don’t have a website so put your’s in just in case my comment won’t get to you.
December 21st, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Hi Jill,
This is Binti, Dr. Galdikas’ son. I moderate the site. It just means that your comment has to be reviewed and approved before it shows up on the site. Otherwise anybody could spam the site with inappropriate links.
Don’t worry about filling in the website part, you only need to fill it in if you have your own site that you want other people to see. Dr. Birute does read all the comments, although she doesn’t always get a chance to reply to all of them because of her busy schedule.
Binti
January 7th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Hi Dr. Galdikas,
I just read the article by Jade Chang on the OFI website and it brought back all my memories from my trip to Borneo in 2008 when I too was lucky enough to go on a release of 2 females. Then I found your blog. The twin story caught my eye. I remember Tut. I’m sorry the one twin didn’t make it. I too have 6 year old twins who you met briefly at the San Diego Zoo in Nov 2008. I hope to come back to Borneo when I can…I’ve looked at the 3 week volunteer program a few times. I feel such a bond to the orangutans and I miss them. Thank you for all your stories and continuous hard work. Take care.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:48 pm
I have been involved in the rehabilitation of orangutans in Sepilok for several years now, spending around 3 – 4 months at a time here. Yesterday I was discussing with one of the Rangers the occurance of twins and the likelihood of survival. I knew there had been such a birth at Sepilok and reporting of the sighting on the Kinabatangan. Your blog has now confirmed my and the Rangers feeling that mortality following such a birth was a likely outcome.
I also wonder if you have had experience of orangutan who remain very skinny, despite eating well – I wondered if there was a chance that some orangutans could have coeliac disorder – any thoughts on that?
I corresponded some time ago with Tamboleyn Streeter, she mentioned knowing you and it was discussed that I should come out to see her and visit Camp Leaky. Knowing all that is involved in the rescue and care of orangutans I send you my full admiration your work inspired me in the beginning and continues to do so
Thank You
Pixie
January 25th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
hi its maddie
i was wondering Binti do you know what your moms favorite orangutan is that she works with?
January 26th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
I’m not sure off-hand. I’ll ask her next time I talk to her.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:06 am
Hi Dr Galdikas
Hope all is well with you. I have been trying to get hold of you the past month re my next visit and want to discuss with you. Hopefully Binti can pass this message on. When are you back in Borneo ?
Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind Regards
Nico
February 17th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I was at Camp Leakey last month and have some great photo’s of Tutut and her surviving infant Tor. It was very exciting to see them both and how well Tor is doing and how quickly he is growing and developing!!!! I was aware of their story previous to my visit, so seeing Tor for myself was such a thrill. As i have been to Camp Leakey several times both as a volunteer and a conservation enthusiast/eco tourist, it is fantastic to return and revisit these amazing animals, although sometimes you need to be reminded that they are primates. I had the pleasure of waking one morning to be greeted by Pan, making his way down the river towards Pondok Ambung on the small kelotok/canoe he had ‘borrowed’ from camp!!! Watching him row himself down the river accessing the Pandanas as he went. As i was travelling with Herman Syah, he was able to tell me it was Pan and how he had learnt this ’skill’ from a very talented mother, Princess.
Thank you for making these experiences possible through locations such as Camp Leakey. I have volunteered with OFUK before but would also love to volunteer with OFI. I have been to the Care and Quarantine centre previously and support Orangutan protection and care through AOP Australia. I will be back time and time again with the hope to one day live in Borneo and contribute to Orangutan survival not just from a distance. I sponsor Wallis and Marsia at the centre and the day I actually met Wallis not made my day but made my LIFE!!! She is a unique, gentle and sensitive individual, it was an honour to be in her company.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Great to get your comment. By the way, the surviving twin’s name is Thor – for the Viking god that gave his name to Thursday.
I would love to see your photos. Can you send them to me at the OFI office which is ofioffice@gmail.com. Please address the e-mail to my attention.
I would love for you to volunteer for OFI. We have 3 teams this year, one in June and two end of July and August.
It was great to hear from you. Please keep in touch.
Birute Mary Galdikas