JL HAND-BOOK 



OF THE 



MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



IN 



LOWER BENGAL. 



N.B.— The names of the " Class," " Order," « Family," " G^ws," 

 Sfc., having been given in the Table of Contents, are not repeated throughout 

 the work. 



(1) THE ORANG-OUTANG. 



(SIMIA SATYEUS— Linn.) 

 Hindi — Jangal-ka-admi. Bengali — Ban^mdnus. 

 Hab. — Borneo and Sumatra. 



Length of life in captivity. 

 The greatest length of time during which any orang has as yet 

 survived in the garden has been seven years, but this does not represent 

 an absolute maximum, as the particular specimen which has lived so 

 long is still alive and well.* The duration of life of other animals of 

 the same species, which have from time to time been exhibited in 

 the garden, has varied from three months to nearly three years. 



Treatment in health. 



Housing. — The orang-outang is an extremely delicate animal, being 

 susceptible to the slightest change in the weather and to the least 

 dampness in its dwelling. It is therefore necessary that its accom- 

 modation should be such as to insure it against both these risks. The 

 dwelling, moreover, should not be made of destructible materials, as, 

 however delicate it may be constitutionally, a healthy orang is a power- 

 ful animal, and its propensities for mischief are great. 



The following directions will be found useful in providing accom- 

 modation for orang-outangs. With a view to protecting these animals 

 from extremes of temperature, a substantial pucca structure is required. 

 At the same time, unless the building can be well shaded by trees and 

 of considerable elevation (which would be both unsightly and expensive), 

 its interior will become as hot as an oven during the midday heat of an 

 Indian summer. In the absence, therefore, of shade and elevation, the 

 roof should be overlaid with a covering of durmah mats, arranged in such 

 a way as to allow free access of air underneath. It is necessary 



* This animal has died, while this work has been under publication. 



