Henry the Orangutan - toolmaker extraordinaire!

 

Henry inspects his final pumpkin of the year

35 year old Henry, the resident Sumatran Orangutan at the Cincinnati Zoo, likes to hold court for his admirers. It was an especially nice day for his final pumpkin treat of the season, when he thought of a better way to get the yummies out of his pumpkin.

Henry inspect his pumpkin,
 and figures out a better way
 to reach the treats hidden inside by the keepers

First he sniffs the pumpkin, and detects
 applesauce, peanuts and raisins inside.

The Cincinnati Zoo traditionally gives pumpkins to the animals on weekends in October, and in this case, on the last day of the Halloween celebration, on Sunday, November 1. 

                                    A little bite...

Henry thinks pumpkins are just okay for a snack, but he really likes the reward stuffed inside, some sweet treats and peanuts. The keepers cut the pumpkin stem out carefully, place the goodies inside, and then jam the stem piece back in very tightly so Henry has to break into the pumpkin. 

                    Mmmm.... Henry retrieves some peanuts inside

He takes a small bite, maybe gets some peanuts. He turns the pumpkin over, lifts it overhead and shakes it, so maybe the goodies will come out.

                             Hallo? Any goodies shaking loose? No?

Since there is a hole in the pumpkin, where he bit it, he knows he can fish around in there if only he had some sort of tool.

          Henry looks around and finds a woody stemmed plant close by. 

Henry spies what he needs right in front of him. He picks off a section of the leafy plant, and carefully peels away the branching stems, until just the one he wants remains. 

                            Clever Henry works on his eating tool

He then uses this tool he has manufactured to stick into the pumpkin to retrieve some of the applesauce.  

                                      Success, the stick works perfectly.

So he didn't just use a tool, exactly like a person would, but he actually fashioned the tool out of the materials at hand. Pretty smart!

Finally, he breaks the pumpkin open. 

Henry was born at ABQ Biopark in Albuquerque New Mexico on New Year's Day in 1991, so is 35 years old. He has lived at the Cincinnati Zoo since 2011. 

His father was the famous Tonka, father of five children, and Henry was the first. I can't discover who Henry's mother might have been. Tonka passed away at ABQ Biopark in February of 2024 at the age of 44. 

One one of my visits to ABQ,
Henry's late father Tonka at ABQ Biopark in 2022.
 He had just become a father again. 

Henry's siblings through his father Tonka are 30 year old sister Tara who lives in the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana, 18 year old sister Reese of the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, 13 year old sister Pixel, who still lives with her mother Sarah in ABQ Biopark in Albuquerque, and 4 year old toddler brother Bulan, also with their mother Sarah in ABQ. Sarah is the mother of four of Tonka's children, but not Henry. 

Orangutan babies stay with their mothers for 8 to 10 years, while they develop the skills they need. This is longer than any of the other great apes. 

Henry's sister Pixel and baby brother Bulan in 2022,
with Sarah, mother of these two.

Big sister Pixel kisses baby brother Bulan, back in 2022
when he was a newborn.  Henry is big brother to these two.

Sadly, their father Tonka, who was also Henry's father, passed away two years ago at ABQ Biopark, due to kidney issues. 

The late Tonka, Henry's father, at ABQ Biopark, in 2022.

Henry's baby brother Bulan, in 2023, in ABQ Biopark,
at his first birthday.

 

Bulan at age one. He's baby half brother of Henry.

Orangutans, especially the Sumatran Orangutans, are well known for creating and using tools, sometimes using grass and leaves to make drinking straws, and sticks to retrieve honey.

Here is Aisha of the San Diego Zoo, with a stick to retrieve honey.

They will also imitate humans in many tasks, like doing "laundry. "

Here are Ginger and her mom Merah at the St. Louis Zoo
 doing their "laundry"

Family connection: Aisha and her baby brother Kaja are the siblings of Cinta, father of Ginger (in the laundry photo) at the St. Louis Zoo. Cinta was born at the San Diego Zoo, where Aisha and Kaja still live.