Yvette is writing a series of blogs about each orangutan at the San Diego Zoo. Her previous blog, about Josephine, is titled More Orangutan Exercises.

We've been releasing the orangutans into the Absolutely Apes exhibit, having them stop in the chute to complete their morning exercises on the way. So far, Indah, Cinta, and Josephine are on exhibit. Who should we let out next? There's Karen, Clyde, Satu, and Janey, all waiting patiently in the bedrooms. Usually, that is!

Sometimes Satu (pictured above) starts getting impatient and wants to go next. How can I tell? He starts banging his door. To me that means he will not be next. When Satu throws a tantrum, I make sure not to let him out. That is a behavior we do not want to reinforce. If he is sitting quietly, he is verbally rewarded for being good and the door to his bedroom goes up. He's sitting quietly now so we'll let him out next.

Satu walks down the back hallway, stopping before he gets to Clyde's bedroom. There is a hall slider by Clyde's bedroom and Satu makes sure it is open before standing in front of it. Once it is open, he vocalizes and squeezes up against the wall, quickly going by. Why? It's a Satu thing. Again, you'll have to ask Satu why he does the things he does. What is Clyde doing while Satu is doing all of this? He's at the front of his bedroom with me, soliciting a back rub, to which I oblige.

Satu continues down the hallway and arrives at the chute. I ask him to station in the chute, which means he should be sitting in the middle with each hand on a ring and facing forward. Satu is very smart and has quickly caught onto this behavior. His only concern is with the chute door; he does not want to be closed in. It makes him nervous and he will actually sit stationed with his right foot outside the chute so the door cannot be closed. If I move towards the chute door, he runs out. So our latest sessions consist of Satu stationing in the chute, presenting different body parts and being rewarded for not moving when I move towards the chute door. The plan is to move towards the chute door little by little, then eventually start touching the door handle, until he is comfortable enough for me to close it. We move slowly and it's all about trust. He's a good boy and I know we'll eventually be able to close the door. Meanwhile, he is rewarded for completing his morning exercises. The session only takes a few minutes, and then he is released into the exhibit.

The siamangs are still quiet and it's around 8:45 a.m. Who should we let out next?

Yvette Kemp is a senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

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