Zookeeper's heartfelt tribute after the death of world's oldest orangutan

A Perth zookeeper has penned a heartfelt tribute to the world’s oldest Sumatran Orangutan after she died at a West Australian zoo.

Puan, the 62-year-old grand dame of Perth Zoo, was put to sleep on Monday after her quality of life rapidly deteriorated due to her advanced years.

“It’s always hard to make that decision for any animal, but it was the right decision and a respectful end for an old lady who demanded respect throughout her life,” primate supervisor Holly Thompson said on Tuesday.

Zookeeper Martina Hart, who has known Puan for 18 years, said even in her old age the mother of 11 remained the matriarch and the dignified lady she had always been.

“Puan taught me patience, she taught me that natural and wild instincts never disappear in captivity. She was in a zoo environment, but to the end she always maintained her independence. I feel so grateful to have been in her life, albeit to have been such a small part of her life. But to me, she’ll always remain a big part of my life,” she wrote for Perth Now.

“I’ll never forget the day we gave her access to a giant fig tree to climb and nest in. Puan hadn’t been in a real tree for over 50 years at that stage, and to be honest my eyes were filled with tears watching her climbing.”

Ms Hart said Puan may have actually been even older than her record age of 62 as she was born in the wild and her date of birth has been determined via old stories and notes.

The Guinness world record holder was born in the jungles of Sumatra before arriving at Perth Zoo from the Sultan of Jahore’s private zoo in 1968.

She leaves behind an incredible legacy that includes 11 children, most of which are now wild orangutans that are each expected to reproduce four times in their lives.

She has 54 descendants, 29 still alive and spread across Australia, the US, Europe, Singapore and Sumatra.