Perilaku Makan dan Palatabilitas Pakan Anak Orangutan Kalimantan di Pusat Primata Schmutzer, Taman Margasatwa Ragunan

Abstract

Orangutan kalimantan (Pongo pygmaeus) berstatus Endangered dan masuk Apendix I CITES akibat penurunan populasi. Upaya konservasi dilakukan melalui lembaga eksitu, seperti Pusat Primata Schmutzer (PPS) di Taman Margasatwa Ragunan. Di lembaga konservasi, pilihan pakan terbatas pada yang disediakan pengelola, sementara orangutan dikenal selektif, terutama pada fase anak yang masih belajar mengenali dan mengolah makanan. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi pola makan dua anak orangutan, teknis penyiapan, penyimpanan, dan pemberian pakan, serta palatabilitas berdasarkan jumlah konsumsi. Data diperoleh melalui observasi, wawancara, dan penimbangan bobot pakan, serta metode focal animal sampling pada dua individu anak. Hasil menunjukkan individu jantan lebih aktif bermain, sedangkan individu betina lebih pasif. Keduanya dominan makan sambil duduk, dengan kecenderungan terestrial pada jantan dan arboreal pada betina. Pakan diberikan tiga kali sehari, terdiri atas dua pakan utama dan satu tambahan, mencakup jenis buah, sayur, umbi, dan olahan. Jenis pakan yang disukai didominasi buah (pisang, pepaya, jeruk, nanas), sedangkan yang kurang disukai berupa sayuran (sawi hijau, pakcoy, kailan, selada, kumek).

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is an Endangered primate listed in CITES Appendix I due to population decline. Ex-situ conservation is implemented at facilities such as the Schmutzer Primate Center (PPS), Ragunan Zoo. In captivity, food options are limited to what is provided by caretakers, while orangutans are known to be selective feeders, especially juveniles still learning to recognize and process food. This study aims to identify two juvenile orangutans’s feeding behaviour, food preparation, storage, and feeding method, as well as palatability based on consumption. Data were collected through observation, interviews, food weighing, and focal animal sampling method on two juvenile orangutans. Results showed that the male was more active and playful, while the female was more passive. Both mainly ate while sitting, with the male tending to be more terrestrial and the female more arboreal. Food was given three times daily, including two main meals and one supplementary feeding, consisting of fruits, vegetables, tubers, and processed foods. Preferred foods were mostly fruits (banana, papaya, orange, pineapple), while less preferred were leafy vegetables (mustard greens, pakcoy, kailan, lettuce, kumek).