Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) are semisolitary apes and, among the great apes, the most distantly related to humans. Raters assessed 152 orangutans on 48 personality descriptors; 140 of these orangutans were also rated on a subjective well-being questionnaire. Principal-components analysis yielded 5 reliable personality factors: Extraversion, Dominance, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Intellect. The authors found no factor analogous to human Conscientiousness. Among the orangutans rated on all 48 personality descriptors and the subjective well-being questionnaire, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and low Neuroticism were related to subjective well-being. These findings suggest that analogues of human, chimpanzee, and orangutan personality domains existed in a common ape ancestor.

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A clear need for evidence-based animal management in zoos and aquariums has been expressed by industry leaders. Here, we show how individual animal welfare monitoring can be combined with measurement of environmental conditions to inform science-based animal management decisions. Over the last several years, Disney's Animal Kingdom® has been undergoing significant construction and exhibit renovation, warranting institution-wide animal welfare monitoring. Animal care and science staff developed a model that tracked animal keepers' daily assessments of an animal's physical health, behavior, and responses to husbandry activity; these data were matched to different external stimuli and environmental conditions, including sound levels. A case study of a female giant anteater and her environment is presented to illustrate how this process worked. Associated with this case, several sound-reducing barriers were tested for efficacy in mitigating sound. Integrating daily animal welfare assessment with environmental monitoring can lead to a better understanding of animals and their sensory environment and positively impact animal welfare.

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Data from wild populations demonstrate that orangutans have the slowest life history of all the great apes. In this chapter, we provide an overview of reproduction and life history traits of female orangutans in the wild and captivity. This comparison of wild and captive data illustrates the variability that exists for orangutans. Wild orangutan females first reproduce at a mean age of 15.4 years, with an age range of 13-18 years, and they have a mean interbirth interval of 9.3 years. Wild male orangutans are conservatively estimated to live at least 58 years, and 53 years for females [1], and to date, there is no evidence to suggest that wild orangutans experience reproductive senescence. We use captive data from 2,566 individuals to show that in captivity orangutan females regularly begin reproducing at the age of 7 and have interbirth intervals that can be shorter than 1 year. We provide additional data that describe the onset and normalization of menses in a young adolescent orangutan as well as the reproductive cycles of three adult females of different ages. Although captive females routinely cycle and reproduce throughout much of their lifespan, age at last reproduction in captivity is 41, which is well before maximum female lifespan. To date, longevity in the wild and in captivity appears equivalent [2]. The reasons for the presence of a postreproductive lifespan in captivity as opposed to its absence in wild populations may be related to management issues. The above results indicate a need for more detailed comparisons between wild and captive orangutans using similar methodologies.