Orangutan Achieves A Guinness World Record

A Sumatran Orangutan that lives at the Perth Zoo in Western Australia has been awarded the Guinness World record for being the oldest of her species in the world. The irony is she couldn’t care less. Puan is a 60-year-old female orangutan and is matriarch of the zoo’s orangutan colony. She was born in 1956 and has been at the zoo since 1968 after being presented as a gift by Malaysia’s Sultan of Johore.

Curmudgeonly great grandmother

Puan is a great grandmother that is famous for her attitude which her keepers say is a curmudgeonly introverted type who does not get on well with others. Puan has played an extremely important role in the zoo’s breeding and release program which has been very successful. Her main handler Martina Hart said in a statement that the orangutan has no problem telling you off and stamping her feet if her food is delayed too long. Ms Hart adds that nevertheless, Puan is the grand old dame of the zoo’s colony and all her keepers treat her with the respects that befits a woman of her age.

Queen of everything

Puan is considered the queen of everything and spends her days bathing in the sun eating lovely food that is fresh from the farm and staying low on the ground. She no longer like to climb these days. In the wild it is extremely rare that a female Sumatran orangutan will live past 50, so reaching the grand old age of 60 is a real achievement and makes Puan an international treasure. The Sumatran orangutan is critically endangered in the wild because of deforestation and poaching. Palm oil and rubber plantations have been replacing what used to be pristine rainforest which is a real shame.