Kid Territory: Critters: Operation Orangutan
Just one week old, Karen received excellent care in the Children's Zoo nursery.
At eight months old, Karen posed for a photo with one of her favorite plush toys.
Karen was slowly introduced to the other orangutans when she was 18 months old. Soon she was happily playing in the large exhibit.
After surgery, Karen and her keeper enjoyed one of the many get-well cards sent to wish her a speedy recovery.
We celebrated Karen's 16th birthday in June 2008!
Zoo name: Karen
Species: Sumatran orangutan
Location: San Diego Zoo
Her story
When you visit the San Diego Zoo, you might see an orange ball of fur rolling along the front of the orangutan exhibit next to the glass. Most likely this is Karen, a female orangutan born at the San Diego Zoo on June 11, 1992. Her mother, Karta, was quite young and very inexperienced at raising a baby. She kept holding Karen upside-down, which made it hard for baby Karen to nurse. For two days, keepers and veterinarians tried to teach Karta how to hold Karen correctly, but Karta didn’t seem to understand. When Karen was three days old, the decision was made to move her to the Children’s Zoo nursery where she would be hand raised.
Growing up with humans
While in the nursery, Karen wore preemie-sized diapers, slept in a crib, and snuggled with stuffed animals. Although she shared similarities with human babies, her nursery keepers realized she was an orangutan and needed to learn orangutan skills. They did arm-strengthening exercises with her such as pull-ups, hanging her from keepers’ fingers and having her grasp tightly to the keepers’ clothes as they walked around the nursery. Karen was a mischievous youngster; she enjoyed making faces and pulling her keepers' hair.
Trouble discovered
During a routine exam in February of 1994, it was discovered that Karen had a hole in her heart. This problem caused her to grow more slowly than normal, be less energetic, and could eventually cause lung damage. This kind of birth defect is not unusual in human infants and was the first kind of defect to be surgically repaired in the 1950s. However, nobody had ever done this kind of open-heart surgery on an animal before.
Calling all doctors
San Diego Zoo veterinarians decided to consult surgeons at the University of California, San Diego, medical center for advice. It was decided that Karen should have the operation. Dr. Stuart Jamieson and Dr. Jolene Kriett performed the seven-hour procedure at the Zoo, donating their time, supplies, and machines for the surgery. The surgery went very smoothly, but Karen had some problems, such as fluid in her lungs, after the surgery. Neonatologist Dr. Mark Greenberg and his staff of nurses created an intensive care unit for Karen and cared for her around the clock for 13 days.
Although the surgery and after-care for Karen kept Zoo veterinarians busy full time, and kept the Zoo's hospital staff working long hours, the effort was worth it. An animal from an endangered species was saved and some of the equipment that was used for Karen's treatment was donated to the Zoo's veterinary hospital, which has been very useful for intensive care cases, including a monkey who went into cardiac arrest and an okapi with meningitis.
Disney princess
Today, Karen is a happy, healthy adult orangutan. She has no lingering health problems from her heart defect or the surgery. Her keepers describe her as somewhat serious and an attention seeker. Every evening the orangutans go to their heated bedroom area where they have fine curled wood shavings and other soft things to make their beds. While the keepers clean the exhibit the next morning, the orangutans remain in their bedrooms. To keep them occupied while they wait to be let outside, sometimes the keepers will play Disney movies for the apes. This is one of Karen’s favorite things! She will take her bed and push it all the way to the front of her bedroom and hunker down to watch her video. Some of our Zoo visitors have heard about this from keepers and have donated some of their old movies to the orangutans.
Where you can see her
The next time you come to the San Diego Zoo, take a moment to look for Karen and the other orangutans. Or visit Ape Cam on this Web site to watch the orangutans and siamangs. You may just catch Karen rolling on by!
More
Animal Bytes: Orangutan, Monkey, Okapi, Siamang
Adopt an Orangutan
Listen to iZoofari audio tours about the apes
Animal-themed Recipes: Ape for Apples
Meet the Critters: A Smiling Mandrill, Agile Gibbons, Great Gorillas
Blogs: Orangutans Inspire Visitors, Karen—Will She or Won't She?
Job Profiles: Taking Care of Animals, Animal Health, So You Want To Be a Keeper?
San Diego Zoo
