This morning, veterinarians at the Zoo Berlin decided to put male orangutan Enche (27) out of his misery. Enche was suffering from chronic respiratory disease and for three days he hadn’t eaten anything at all, his health deteriorating further. He was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Enche was born in 1989 at Heidelberg Zoo and moved to the capital city in 1998. In 2015 the orangutan became the father of Rieke, a female orangutan who is currently living in Dorset, England.
Shortly after moving to Berlin it was discovered that Enche was suffering from a pharyngeal pouch inflammation (airsacculitis) that is increasingly common amongst orangutans. The pharyngeal pouch is under the chin, extends up to the arm and armpit area of the animal and enables vocalisation. When the animal bellows, it fills with several litres of air. The illness is incurable, as new pathogens can form and spread time and again in the organs belonging to the respiratory system.
Thanks to an operation and the fitting of a permanent fistula in 2005, Enche lived for many years with no issues. A permanent fistula is a hole in the pharyngeal pouch through which secretions can flow out and which enables better ventilation of the infected organ.
However, the general condition of the orangutan had severely worsened and examinations became necessary once again. Enche was examined by computer tomography at the clinic for small animals at the Free University and treated with antibiotics and cortisone etc., but without success. In addition to the paranasal sinuses, the orangutan’s lungs had become so greatly damaged that the gas exchange and therefore his normal respiratory function could no longer be guaranteed.
Enche will now be taken to the Institute for Veterinary Pathology at the Free University in Düppel, where he will be examined intensively by experienced pathologists.
Zoo Director Dr. Andreas Knieriem said: “The loss of Enche affects us all dearly; the orangutan became close to our hearts over the years - not just the staff at the Zoo Berlin, but notably all animal keepers. He also had many friends amongst the zoo’s visitors. We did everything imaginable to help the animal, but unfortunately we didn’t win this time.”
After Enche’s death, there are still six orangutans living at the Zoo Berlin: females Mücke (26), Djasinga (13) and Satu (10), and male Manu (39) with Bini (35) and their son Bulan (2009).
