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Every orangutan is born to live amongst the rainforest canopy - not behind barriers.

They have evolved to roam vast forests, make their own choices and raise their families in one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth. Their name even means "person of the forest", yet across the UK and Ireland, intelligent, sentient orangutans are confined to zoo enclosures, where they will spend their entire lives denied the freedom to choose where they live, who they spend time with and how they raise their families. No matter how natural an enclosure may appear, captivity can never replace the complex, fulfilling lives orangutans are evolved to lead. 

A life of freedom.

In the wild, orangutans spend almost their entire lives in the trees. They travel through vast rainforests in search of fruit, build a fresh nest every evening and choose where they go, what they eat and who they spend time with. Young orangutans stay with their mothers for up to eight years, learning the skills they need to survive by watching and copying them.

Their lives are defined by freedom - the freedom to roam, make their own choices and develop the complex behaviours and social relationships that are natural to their species.

Captivity takes all of that away.

No enclosure, however carefully designed to appear "natural" to paying visitors, can recreate the rainforest orangutans need to truly thrive or provide the autonomy they deserve. Instead, every aspect of their lives is controlled by humans - from where they live and who they live with, to when they are bred and where they are moved. 

Mujur's story

One orangutan whose story tragically illustrates the true cost of captivity is Mujur, who lives at Dublin Zoo. 

Despite being only 19 years old, Mujur has endured repeated trauma. Two of her infants sadly died, yet she continues to be bred as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). Following the birth of her third child in 2024 - Sibu Junior - he was removed from her care and transferred to another zoo - another decision made for the breeding programme, not for Mujur. 

Zoos often justify breeding orangutans by claiming it is essential for conservation. Yet the orangutans born through these breeding programmes are not destined for release into the wild. Instead, they are bred to spend their entire lives in captivity before becoming part of the same cycle themselves - producing the next generation of orangutans to live behind barriers. 

This raises an important question: if these animals are never intended to return to the forests they belong in, whose interests are these breeding programmes really serving? 

The greatest threats facing wild orangutans are habitat destruction, deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade - not a shortage of captive-born orangutans. Yet UK zoos continue to invest millions of pounds in new ape facilities and orangutan exhibits. Twycross Zoo, for example, is developing a new orangutan habitat as part of a £25 million expansion, while Dudley Zoo has spent more than £1 million refurbishing its orangutan enclosure.

Imagine the difference if this same ambition and investment were directed towards protecting rainforest habitats, supporting local communities and addressing the threats orangutans face in the wild - where conservation is needed most.

When intelligent, emotionally complex animals are prevented from living natural lives, it is always the animals who bear the consequences. Wild female orangutans learn how to care for their young over many years by observing their mothers and other experienced females. Orangutans born in zoos are deprived of these opportunities, growing up in environments that can never replicate the complex social lives of the wild.

Following Sibu Junior's birth, Dublin Zoo said Mujur was unable to care for her infant. But Mujur is not the problem.

Wild orangutans learn how to care for their young over many years by observing their mothers and other experienced females. Orangutans born in zoos are deprived of these opportunities, growing up in environments that can never replicate the complex social lives of the wild.

Captivity is the problem. Why continue breeding from an individual who has already endured such repeated trauma?

Orangutans deserve better

An orangutan is not an exhibit or a breeding asset. They are sentient individuals who have evolved to roam vast rainforests, make their own choices and live a life far beyond the limits of a zoo enclosure.

Mujur's story is a reminder that captivity doesn't just restrict an orangutan's movements - it restricts the life they are able to live.

At Freedom for Animals, we believe orangutans belong where they always have: in the forests they call home. For those who cannot return to the wild, they deserve lifelong care in genuine sanctuaries - not a lifetime on display in zoos that prioritise breeding and entertainment over their freedom and welfare. 

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